Saga of the Discarded
by Kiri-Ryu
Summary: FE6. This is a story of sorrow & loss, of lives lost or changed forever by war. Lugh and Rei. Twins whose parents disappeared when they were 4. Chad. Raised in an unloving home until orphaned when his town was burned down by bandits. This is their story.
1. New Arrivals

Right... Once again I write Fire Emblem fanfiction, and hopefully I'll get a better response. Ahem. This story goes through the life of Lugh, Chad and Rei in first person POV, and will be following the events of FE6, with a few side things added. Also, the person who the story ewill be following will change each chapter. 

I'll be trying to update every week, but don't expect me to be on time... Damn school. I am also prone to writers blocks.

I take inspiration from Robin Hobb's books (Mainly the "Farseer" Trilogy). If you get the chance, go read them. Go read them now

**IMPORTANT!**: This fic is rated PG 13 for a reason! There will be swearing, bloodshed and sexual undertones. (Sorry, no shonen-ai or yaoi. Don't like it myself.)

**Disclaimer- **Yadda, yadda, yadda. I do not own Fire Emblem. Wish I did, but no such luck...

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**The Saga of the Discarded**

A Fire Emblem fanfic by Kiri-Ryu

**Chapter One: New Arrivals**

**Lucius **

It was a bright night, so bright that you could go outside and read a book. It's almost sad. You expect things like that to happen on overcast, rainy nights where the wind howled and branches scraped on the windows. But no, it was the clearest night I had ever seen and the moon sat full in the sky.

It had been ten years since the incident with the Black Fang and Nergal, and I had settled down in south Araphen. With the money I had earned from traveling with Eliwood and Lyndis, I had managed to build a small orphanage. It wasn't much, with only 5 bedrooms, a small classroom, an even smaller kitchen and my office/sleeping quarters, but it was home. I remember that, at that time, I had only 4 children, but that was fine. I had vowed to St Emiline that any who appeared at my doors would not be rejected, and all who lived here would be taught well. I did not want anyone else to have the miserable childhood that I had.

But, I loose track of myself. The day had been like any other, and the children had helped me plant a few seeds so we could have freshly grown vegetables. But throughout the day, I had a vague feeling of dread, as if something terrible was going to happen. I had eventually shaken it off by nightfall. Thus, I found myself sitting once again at my small desk, with a clutter of papers spread around me. I had often tried to sort them out, but found it hopeless. So they lay scattered, and I looked out of my small window, marveling at the bright night.

A figure moved in the distance, heading slowly towards my orphanage. I narrowed my eyes, and tried to make out who it was. He stumbled, and two smaller figures moved towards him. I watched as the man pulled himself up, then started heading towards my orphanage once again. I left my desk and headed quietly towards the door, trying not to disturb the sleeping children. I opened the door, and found myself facing the Angel of Death.

During my days in Eliwood's army, I had often seen Jaffar moving around, or listening to someone else talking to him. I... Did not feel comfortable near him, as any sane man would. But when I gazed upon him that night, I felt nothing but pity for the man.

His left arm had hung limply, and I was able to clearly see a large, bloodied gash along his shoulder. One eye was swollen shut, and a thin trickle of blood flowed down his face. His clothes were rugged, torn and bloodstained. Overall, he did not look like the imposing Angel of Death I remembered 10 years ago.

'Jaffar?' I asked him, worry evident in my voice. 'What has happened?'

'Take care of them.' He told me in his frighteningly emotionless voice. With that, he pushed two small children towards me. From a brief glance, I estimated them to be about four years of age. Jaffar turned from me, then ran off to wherever he came from.

'Wait!' I called out toward him. 'You're seriously hurt! At least let me tend your wounds!'

'... Nino needs me.' He replied so softly that I almost didn't hear him. Then, he disappeared into the night, leaving me with the two children. I looked down at them, and found two pairs of aqua coloured eyes staring back at me, confusion radiating out of them.

'Come,' I told them softly, taking their hands. 'Let's get you inside.'

I had escorted them to my office, then I gave them a look over. They were obviously identical twins, and also obviously Nino's children. Their eyes, the same deep aqua of as their mother's, were full of innocence and confusion. Their hair was cropped to just below their ears, and it was also the same shade of green as their mother's. I found myself disconcerted with them and their sudden appearance in my Orphanage.

'Where has daddy gone?' One of them asked me, eyes wide.

'...He's left for a while.' I told him after a moments silence. 'So I'm going to take care of you. I am Father Lucius.' I tried to smile at them, but found myself unable to.

'Father Lucius?' The other of the twins spoke up. 'Why are you called Father? Is it because you have kids?'

Ah, the innocent questions of an inquiring child. That brightened me up a bit. 'I am a priest of St Emiline, and "Father" is the title given to me. I have sired no children myself, but I consider all those who live here my own.'

'Oh.' The second twin responded, looking down briefly. He then let out a large, gaping yawn, blinking his eyes rapidly. I smiled at them.

'Seems like the night look a lot out of you, let's get you two a bed.'

They nodded sleepily, and I lead them off to the last of my free rooms. It was bare, with the stone walls painted a drab brown colour. But that hardly seemed to matter to the sleepy twins. They clambered into the beds then almost instantly fell asleep. I stood silently for a while, watching Nino's children sleeping soundly before I licked my fingers and put out the candle on the desk between the beds. I left the room, wondering what fate had in store for these two children, given to me for protection.

* * *

A week passed, and the twins grew accustomed to living in the orphanage. I watched as both Lugh and his brother Rei joined in with the rest of the children, but they didn't really seem to fit in. They participated in the group activities, but they did not form any close friendships with any of the other children. 

At first, I found it difficult to tell the difference between the two boys, but soon I identified their little quirks that allowed me to know which was which. Lugh was more sociable than his brother, and was always smiling. He was always trying to help, and often worked alongside me in the garden. Rei, on the other hand, was reserved, and preferred to play by himself or with his brother. Both showed a spark of intelligence, and they learned their lessons well and quickly. I smiled, thinking how alike they were to their parents.

The day had grown long, and the twins and I were finishing watering the garden. The seeds had sprouted, and the children had been attending them all day.

'Keep watering them, Lugh.' I told the boy. 'I'm going inside to prepare toady's meal.'

'OK Father!' He said cheerily, calling me by the nickname that all the children used, probably because "Lucius" was to hard for them to say. I walked inside to the small kitchen we had. Like the rest of the orphanage, it wasn't large. But it suited our needs well. I put a large pot of water to heat, then began cutting up vegetables. Just as I finished the last one, I felt someone tugging at my robes. I looked down to see Rei.

'There's a man an' a boy at the garden.' He told me, his face a parody of Jaffar's emotionless glare. It almost sent a shiver down my spine. 'Lugh is talking to him an' showing him the garden.'

'Thank you for telling me Rei.' I crouched down to his height. 'Could tell the man to wait for a little bit?'

He nodded, then ran off. I quickly placed the chopped vegetables into the pot, than walked out to the garden. I moved forward to see Lugh proudly showing off the beans he planted to the man. He paid attention, giving a short, quick response to each question asked. I knew the man's voice, and recognised his ruddy brown hair, blue overcoat and the longsword hanging at his belt.

'Lord Raymond,' I greeted my old friend with a smile. 'It is good to see you again.'

He turned around and looked me in the eyes. 'Lucius.' He greeted in return.

* * *

'So then,' I poured Lord Raymond a cup of tea and placed it in front of him. He nodded his thanks. 'What brings you to this small orphanage, Lord Raymond?' 

'I found something you might be interested in.' He said, indicating to the boy standing a few paces behind him. 'I found him wandering around a burned village, looking lost and confused.' Lord Raymond picked up his tea and took a sip. '... That alone would have made me bring him to you but... There is something else about him.'

I took a good look at the boy, noting all his features. His short, sandy blond hair had a rough cut to it, and he looked at me with intelligent, light brown eyes. His build was light, even for a 5 year old, and he vaguely reminded me of a particular member of Eliwood's old army.

'Lord Raymond, is he...' I left my question unfinished, knowing that Lord Raymond knew what I was asking.

'A grieving man must find comfort somewhere.' He shrugged. 'Whether it be in the bottom of a mug of ale or in a woman's bed.'

'Does he know?'

'I doubt it. I had thought to take the boy to him first, but I knew that the lad would only bring him more pain, if he were his.'

'True...' I looked at the boy, who was glancing around the room, taking in all the details. 'Boy,' I addressed him, making him turn around to face me with those hauntingly familiar eyes. 'What's your name?'

'Boy,' He shrugged. 'But pap called me Bastard.'

I winced, guessing that his home had not been a happy one. 'And what did you're mother call you?' I asked.

'Mam never really talked to me much, she just cried. Pap used to hit her lots and call her a whore.'

'Perhaps, we should give you a real name...' I spoke softly, feeling sympathy for the poor lad. I paused, considering what name to give the boy. He needed something simple.

'Chad.' Lord Raymond spoke up and turned to face the boy. 'Is that name good enough?'

'Chad...' He tested it, then smiled. 'I like it.' He declared.

'Very well then Chad.' I smiled at the boy. 'I'll be taking care of you from now on. You may call me Father. That's what everyone else does. If you go out the front, you'll see a green haired boy with a watering can. His name is Lugh, and I bet he'd like to have a new friend.'

Chad nodded, then slipped out the door. I listened to him run down the corridor.

'He'll have a good home here.' I told Lord Raymond.

'I didn't doubt it. That is why I brought him here, after all.' He took another sip from his tea. '... I see that you also are taking care of Nino's twins.'

'Yes. Jaffar brought them to me little over a week ago.' I closed my eyes and recounted the tale to Lord Raymond.

'So... I guess those Bounty hunters finally found them.' He said after a while. 'Lord Eliwood tried his best to hide them, but one can only do so much before it is seen as meddling.'

'St Emiline, have mercy on those two.' I offered a prayer for them. 'All they wanted, in the end, was to live a quiet life.'

'Sometimes, all people see is who someone was.' Lord Raymond shrugged, then finished his tea. 'I'm afraid I must be going Lucius.' He stood up from his chair. 'I have important matters to attend to.'

'Are you sure you would not like to wait until the 'morrow Lord Raymond?' I asked him, though I already knew the answer.

'Ney, Lucius. I do not like to impose on your hospitality.' He moved towards the door. 'I trust that you shall remain in good health.'

I too stood up, and I lead Lord Raymond to the gates. He waved good by, then mounted his roan horse and rode off. I turned towards the garden to see Lugh and Chad talking happily together, with Rei listening in. I smiled lightly, knowing that those three would more than likely form a close friendship that would span throughout their lives. I called out to them, telling them that dinner would be ready soon, and asking if they could gather the rest of the children. They nodded happily and ran off to look for others.

They looked so innocent, none could have guessed their horrible past. In my heart, I knew those boys were destined for great things. But, for the moment, I will watch over them, and make sure that they grow to their full potential.

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Well, what do you think? Did Lucius seem in-character to you? I love comments, so don't hesitate to send them! 

**Chapter 2: Taking Leave** (Rei's POV)

R&R please!


	2. Taking Leave

Sorry this is a bit late. All I can say is school is crap, I hate essays, and my only escape from this mundane life is writing this Fanfic... Ah well, it's a good excuse to write this Fanfic! 

**Sara Jaye-** Thanks for the review and support! I did keep with Lucius & Raven's seperate endings, but they seem to be the type that would keep in contact. Plus, it's just a convenient way to add Chad into the story. (Shameless plot device...)

**Rosa Aquafire-** Totaly agree that there are not enough Fuuin fanfics out there. I mean, I know that it isn't readily available, and it's not translated, but still...With Rei not having his usual personality and him mimicking Jaffar, well you have to remember that he IS four years old. He can't spell "Sarcasm", let alone use it. And in dealing with social situations, he's copying what his parents would do, and in Jaffar's case, that would be Glaring coldly at someone and saying as little as possible. Finally, when Chad was talking about his "Pap", he wasn't referring to Matthew, but his Step-Father. I didn't mean to suggest that Matthew was an asshole and a wife basher, since we all know that he's a sweetheart.

**Sword, Staff and Bow-** I am implying that Chad is Matthew's son, yes. It seems possible, and if you take a look at their pictures, they sort of seem alike. But have no fear! It's not going to be this huge thing, just something at the side, a side-plot if you're lucky.

**Black-D-** Thanks for the review, although if the future of FE6 fanfics is in my hands, then surely we are doomed... Or maybe not, depends if I hit a writer's block.

Finally, before the Chapter starts, I would like to clear up the Matthew-Chad thing. So, here are the line up of events as I see them.

1- Hector is crowned Marquess of Ostia, and the country starts to settle down. Matthew asks for some time off to do some soul searching.

2- After a while of traveling around Elibe, Matthew finds himself in "Miscellaneous Town A". It is there that he meets with Chad's future mother, and after both getting particuarly drunk, they find themselves in bed together.

3- Matthew leaves the next day, Woman get into a forced marrage with Asshole Husband for trade or land or some reason like that.

4- Eventually, her Pregnancy starts to show. Asshole Husband raises an eyebrow, but says nothing about it.

5- Chad is born, and looks nothing like his Mother or her Asshole Husband. Asshole Husband gets angry and turns into, well, even more of an asshole and starts bashing Chad's mother.

6- Poor Cad is forced to live with this for 5 years, until the timely burning of "Miscellaneous Town A", after which he met with Raven and then taken to Lucius's Orphanage.

There, hope that clears things up. Now, onto the main Fic.

**Disclaimer- **If I owned Fire Emblem, then I wouldn't be writing cheap fanfics now would I?

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**The Saga of the Discarded**

A Fire Emblem fanfic by Kiri-Ryu

**Chapter Two: Taking Leave**

**Rei **

We were happy, for a time. Life in the orphanage was simple, but we felt richer then any Lycian noble. Most of our days were filled with simple tasks, such as tending the garden or cleaning the orphanage, and for 3 hours every morning Father taught us letters and numbers. We complained sometimes, but secretly we knew that we would have had it no other way.

Occasionally, a visitor would pass by and enrich our lives. More often or not, it was Lord Raymond, with either a new child or some exotic item form a far away land. I remember once that he came by with a pouch of some strange lollies from Etruria. There was enough in the bag for three for each of us, and we savoured them. I believe that Lugh actually saved one of his for an entire week before eating it.

Lord Raymond wasn't our only visitor however. Every so often, a pink haired priestess called Serra came to visit. She would bring a basket of fruits and vegetables with her, and would help Father in preparing the nights meal. After we had eaten, she would tell us ridiculous stories which made us laugh until our sides hurt. By the time she finished, most of us were on the verge of falling asleep. She and Father then took us to our rooms, or carried those who were too tired to walk, then they too would retire for the night. I remember once asking Father why it was that when Lord Raymond decided to stay the night, one of children's rooms would be cleared out whilst when Sister Serra visited, she would stay in his room. He had blushed and told me that I'd understand when I was older.

But as much happiness as there was, there was also sorrow. Every so often, Father would have one of his Sickness attacks. He would just suddenly fall down, short of breath and twitching slightly. The first time it had happened, all of us were just so scared and fearful for him. Luckily, it wasn't a strong one, and he was recovering by late afternoon. After that, he taught us what to do if he had another of his Sickness attacks. The next time he fell, we were ready. That time, it took him a full week to recover, and we had to survive Chad's cooking. Father said that it wasn't too bad, and we often wondered if he was eating the same thing we were.

And that was what it was like for most of my life. The older children moved off to seek their destiny in the world, so eventually Chad, Lugh and I were the oldest of the Orphans. We were happy, our lives no more complicated than taking care of the little ones and looking after Father when he fell ill. But, alas, things were to change.

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My brother and I were ten when he appeared. Chad, who had become good friends with us, was eleven. We were picking this year's crop of corn and placing the kernels into a woven basket. I looked out the gate briefly to see a figure riding toward us. I left Lugh and Chad to finish picking the rest of the corn, then walked up to the newcomer. His silver hair was long, reaching to his mid waist, and was tied back with a bandanna. He had worn a black traveling cloak, a dark blue shirt and brown riding pants. Twin daggers had rested by his side and he had a mischievous look in his violet eyes.

'Welcome,' I told him pleasantly. 'Have you business with Father?'

He had looked at me in surprise, then smiled. 'I believe I do. Could you please escort me to him?'

I nodded, then showed him to the gates. He dismounted his black horse, which contented itself by nibbling on some of the grass. He followed me, and I lead him to Father's room. I knocked on the door.

'Yes?' Father called out.

'Father, there is a man here who want's to see you.'

'It's me, Legault.' The man spoke up. There was a pause, then Father's door opened.

'Legault...' He spoken slowly. 'What brings you here?'

'Many things, Father Lucius.' He replied, his expression suddenly turning serious. 'None of which should be discussed in from of the children.'

Father opened the door wider, then let Legault into his room. He shut the door softly behind him. Quietly, I pressed my ear to the door to hear what they were talking about, but they had spoken in hushed voices. I eventually left, seeking out my brother and my friend.

'Who was the man?' Lugh asked me, carrying a basket full of corn.

'Legault, or something.' I shrugged. 'He wanted to talk to Father about something.'

'I'm sure that it's nothing.' Chad said, his arms thrown to the back of his head. 'We had better get this corn to the Kitchen, before Father decides not to cook it.'

And so Legault was forgotten for a time, and we had rushed to the kitchen. The corn was prepared for cooking, and we had started chopping up other sorts of vegetables. When we were half finished, Father and Legault had walked in.

'Lugh, Rei,' Father spoke with a reserved voice, as if he was unsure of the decision he had made. 'Legault here has something for you.'

Lugh looked at me curiously, before we had moved out of the room. Legault moved us to an empty room, then closed the door.

'I have a gift for you two.' He told us. Lugh's eyes twinkled at the hope of getting a gift, hoping it to be an exotic wonder from a far away land. Legault reached into a pocket located at the back of his cloak, and produced his silk-wrapped gift. He slowly took the silk off to reveal a pair of leather-bound books, one of them with a red cover, the other black.

'These were your mother's.' He told us slowly, hesitantly. 'She entrusted them to me, just in case something happened to her or your father. I waited until a time where you could realize their significance.' He handed the red one to Lugh, and the black one to me. I had looked at the book and I felt myself drawn to it. As I reached for the cover, Legault's hand grabbed mine.

'Be careful,' He told me. ' That is a tome of Darkness, and it's powers are not to be underestimated. I have seen many a man succumb to the alluring darkness, reduced to little more than drooling babes.'

'And this one?' Lugh asked, holding his red one.

'Ah, that is an Anima tome, your mother's specialty. That is the magic of nature, and from what I have heard of it, it will set your spirit free.' He smiled.

'Why give me the dangerous one?' I asked him.

'Because Lucius believes that you would be able to handle it.'

It had been such a simple answer, and it had set my mind as to what I was going to do. I did not want to disappoint Father, so I had decided to master this dark magic.

That had been over three years ago.

* * *

I sit on my bed, and recount the events of my years. A strand of green hair drifted in front of my face, and I was forced to flick it from my eyes.

Chad has often told me that I've changed over these past few years. I do not doubt him, but neither am I regretful. The Dark magic that I practice has taught me control and patience, but within the depths of my soul I yearn to learn more, to become more powerful than any shaman ever had. I know that staying here limits my search for knowledge, but I must stay.

For the little ones.

I sighed and raised myself from my bed. Lugh and Chad would be back soon from their venture into town. I doubted that they would have been successful in finding jobs, but I knew that they would still bring a few things back.

Lugh had embraced his Anima magic, and was almost as good as casting it as I was with my Dark magic. Often, he would perform small magic tricks for the little ones, delighting them and making them laugh furiously. It was his gift, the ability to enrich other people's lives, even in these troubling times.

Bern was flaunting it's power, and had been sending out small skirmishes to Lycia. I had heard that they were fast taking over Ilia, and Sacae had already fallen. Bern's war had made it even harder for us to survive, and we were only barely able to stave off hunger. Thus, the older of us had gone out to try and find jobs to get a little money. But not many were hiring, and those who were did not hire us. So Chad was forced to resort to stealing. He told father and the little ones that he had managed to work for the food, but I secretly think that Father knew.

'We're back!' Lugh's voice echoed through the Orphanage. I strolled out my room to meet with them. Lugh had a triumphant look on his face, and he held a small pouch. Next to him stood Chad, who carried a half a loaf of bread and some dried meat. I wonder who he stole those from?

'Welcome back, Lugh and Chad.' Father greeted them, smiling. 'I see that you were reasonably successful.'

'Yup!' Lugh smiled and nodded. 'I managed to get 5 gold for my work, and Chad was able to get some food!'

His over-excitedness irritated me, but at the same time it lightened my mood. It was like an infectious disease. Father congratulated them, then took the food. He would divide it up so that it would last as long as it could. Many of the little ones often complained of being hungry, but they were ignorant of all that Father did for them. Few knew that Father cut his portion of the meal so that the others could get more. Since he wore the heavy robes of a Bishop, you could not see that his body had wasted to barely more than skin and bone.

It was pathetic, how we had to survive on what we could scrape from our measly little garden and on the pickings of others that had not the common sense to keep an eye on their property. It sickened me to my core, that this was the standard that we had been reduced to. I turned away from my brother and his friend, suddenly revolted at what they had become. Paupers and thieves. I had to get away from here, so that I would not suffer the same fate.

* * *

The day faded quickly, and I once again found myself in my room, quietly studying my tome.

'Rei?' Lugh asked quietly, disturbing me from my book. I slowly closed the cover, then turned with controlled anger to meet his questioning eyes.

'Yes?' I asked, my voice betraying none of my irritation at being disturbed.

'We're going to pull through, aren't we? I mean, we can only barely scrape up enough money and food to keep us alive, and it doesn't look as if things will get any better...' He trailed off, averting his gaze.

'I don't know." I told him simply and truthfully. 'We'll just have to find another way.'

He looked at me a while longer, his eyes wide with worry, before he turned away, staring at the ceiling. I too turned back to my tome, but my thoughts strayed elsewhere. The life at the orphanage would not get any better, that I was sure of. This year's crop of food was only barely alive, and what was pulled from the garden was barely enough for a meal. The gold that was raised from working was only barely enough to pay taxes and to pay for a little dried meat. If this continued, then there was a chance that someone would die of starvation, or when Father had one of his attacks we wouldn't be able to provide for him.

So, I came to my decision.

I waited until Lugh fell asleep, then I got up from my bed. I quietly pulled out a piece of parchment, then set out my quill and ink pot; one of the small luxuries that I had left. I paused, and wondered how to word it. I needed a plausible excuse to leave, I hovered over my parchment, then placed the nib of my quill on it's surface.

_"I want to train my Dark magic skills on my own."_

This was, indeed, my main reason for leaving. I found it frustratingly hard to concentrate on my craft whilst half a dozen small children ran under my legs. I needed to expand my knowledge and I could not do that sitting in this orphanage, twiddling my thumbs and waiting for starvation to claim me.

I placed the parchment on the desk between Lugh's bed and mine. The same beds that we had slept in since we first came here. I felt a twinge of regret, but I shook it off. I picked up what little belongings I had and quietly left out the front door. I paused, then looked at the barely living garden. I remembered that it had once been full with vegetables, many of which Lugh and I had planted. I shook off the memory, I needed to steel myself for the journey ahead of me. I started to walk down the dirt-track road that lead to and from the orphanage.

The little ones are none of my concern anymore.

* * *

(Deep sigh) It's done... Rei is not the easiest person to write about, you know? But anyway, I think I did a reasonable job.

**Chapter 3: Bloodstained Garden** (Lugh's POV)

R&R Please!


	3. Bloodstained Garden

Blarg. Once again, I apologise For the lateness of this chapter. I... Hate... Essays. I said it before, and I'll continue to say it until they are wiped from the face of the earth. THEY MUST DIE! (Ahem) also, I was kinda hoping for a few more reviews, so I delayed updating for that too. I suppose I'm too picky. 

**Sara Jaye-** Thanks, I was sort of worried about that. The entire Chad-Matthew thing seems to be the most delicate part of my fic. Thanks for the support too.

**Lzn64-** Glad you enjoyed it. I was a little worried with Rei since, well, it's a little hard to put him in character when you only have access to the fan-subbed versions and you're illiterate in Japanese. Still, I'm quite happy with the result. Oh, and with the Lucius paring thing... I was actually meant to edit that out before I posted the chapter up! (Sweatdrop) It's not actually Lucius/Raven, since I'm not a yaoi fan, but Lucius/Serra instead. I swear that I'm the only person that likes that pairing... Still, pay me no heed and take it how you wish.

Only two reviews... Better than none, I suppose. I really pity the authors out there that have seven or eight chapters posted, but not a review to their name. I should really be thankful for what I've got.

And now, to the fic, and the part we dread...

**Disclaimer-** HAH! I do own Fire Emblem! I purchased it from Games World for 50! Well, I purchased the game cartridge for 50... So I own the cartridge of Fire Emblem, but not the copyrights or any of the official stuff... Damn, foiled again.

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Chapter Three: Bloodstained Garden**

**Lugh **

We had all been shocked when Rei left. He had always spoke of leaving to train his magic, but we'd never thought that he'd actually do it. Chad had said bitterly that he expected Rei to desert them when the goings got tough, but I knew different.

He was, after all, my brother. If I didn't know him, then who did?

Whilst his leaving did mean one less mouth to feed, It also meant that there was one less able-bodied person to go out and work. So, in the end, his leaving didn't make life any easier.

For the next six months, Chad and I worked as hard as we could, picking up any stray jobs we could. Often, Chad had to resort to stealing from others. I didn't like it much, but if the little ones were to survive this, it was a necessary evil.

* * *

'Now then Lugh, I want these placed in alphabetical order. Perfect... Order. If there is one slip up, I will not hesitate to fire you.'

'Yes sir.' I half sigh to my employer. Everybody is the same around here. They think that just because I am an orphan, I cannot read or write. I take the books that were on the cart and carry them inside, to carefully stack them on the shelf in "Perfect... Order". Why is it that people assume things about others before they have met them? And in Araphen, in all places, which shares it's borders with both Sacae and Bern! I pause, and take a deep breath to calm myself down. I need to work, not to get angry over the injustices in the world. Silently, I continued to stack and sort the books.

'Hey have you heard the news?' A voice from outside floated into the shop.

'What?' Another responded.

'The Lycia Alliance Army is coming to Castle Araphan.'

'Why the hell are they coming here?'

'... Because Araphan shares the closest, non-mountainous border with Bern, idiot!' There was the sound of a hand slapping flesh. The voices disappeared into the distance. The army, I mused. It wasn't such a a bad idea. I was a fairly capable Mage, and the Marquess of Ostia, who happened to be the general of the Army, was an old friend of Fathers. I could join and hopefully get paid in advance. With the money I earned, Father may be able get the orphanage back on it's feet.

Almost immediately, I shook my head free of that thought. The Lycia Alliance Army probably already has much more powerful magic users than I, and if I left the orphanage, I would be leaving Chad and Father to take care of the little ones.

Just like Rei did.

'Hey, Lugh! Get your useless head out of the clouds and get back to work!' My employer yelled at me.

'S-sorry sir!' I stammered my apology, then grabbed another handful of books. I rushed and almost stacked them in the wrong order, but I corrected my error before my employer found out.

Perhaps Rei had it right...

* * *

I returned to the Orphanage at sundown. I had but two gold to show for my hard work. I hoped Chad had been able to do better.

As I neared the orphanage gates, I noticed a large black horse covered in heavy barding. It was nibbling on the dry grass just outside the gates. I curiously approached it, and it raised it's head to look me in the eyes. It then snorted disdainfully and went back to grazing. How could a horse sound disdainful?

I entered the orphanage to see Chad, face paled, trying to scrape up something edible from the garden.

'Hey Chad!' I called out and waved to him. He looked up at me, his expression not changing.

'Hello Lugh...' He said, as if distracted.

'What's wrong? Has something happened?' I suddenly felt worried. Had Father had another of his attacks? St Emiline, if he had then we might not be able to pull through...

'We, err... We have a visitor. A rather... Important one...' He turned back to the garden, and pulled out a mostly whole, but sadly small, turnip.

'Is that all?' I suddenly felt relief. 'Is it Lord Raymond? Or perhaps Sister Serra?' Either one would be a welcome relief.

'No, neither of them... Look, you'll just have to go inside.' He returned to his vegetable gathering. I shook my head, not remembering when Chad was this nervous. I turned and went into the orphanage.

The little ones were chattering away happily, speaking of "The large man that gave them all piggyback rides". Whoever this visitor was, he couldn't be all bad. I headed over towards Father's room, and I heard the voiced of Father and the mysterious newcomer.

'... You were right, he DOES look like him! Gods, if I hadn't seen the lad with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it!' The visitor's voice was deep and rumbling, and sounded stupefied.

'Yes, Lord Raven and I had thought the same thing... Will you let him know?' Father's voice was calm, but there was a slight waver, as there had been for many days now.

'Grah... I suppose I must, though he's not going to like it. I think I'll wait until Bern's finished their damned war first. Bloody hell, that man is always getting me in trouble, from the moment Uther first-'

'I'm back Father.' I chose this moment to disrupt the conversation. Father looked up at me, then smiled. The man he was talking with, turned to face me, then visibly jumped in surprise. He was a man of large build, and he wore a deep blue suit of full-plate armour. His face was covered in a large beard, which was almost the same shade of blue as his eyes.

'St Emiline! They pop up everywhere!' He exclaimed.

'Hello sir.' I nodded politely, then smiled at father. 'I wasn't able to get much, but it'll set us right for a few days at least.' I placed the two gold on his desk, then turned to face the newcomer. The surprise had not been wiped from him, but curiosity was also on his face, and he watched me with great interest.

'Humble too. Much like his mother.' He smiled underneath his great beard.

'You knew my mother?' I asked him, wonder evident in my voice. Father had told me some things about my real parents, but not enough to satisfy my curiosity. Plus, I suspect that he held information away from me.

'Aye, I did. Not well, I must admit. But we spoke occasionally, and she was always full of smiles, even when things seemed hopeless. And she was really the only one who truly accepted Jaffar. Oh, the rest of the army tolerated him, but he was still Jaffar. One to be feared as well as respected. Even I felt uncomfortable around that one.'

I listened to his tale with wide, curious eyes and soaked in all the information I could. He stopped abruptly, then smiled again.

'Just like his bloody mother. Trying to learn everything. Alas, I'm afraid I must go Father Lucius. The Army will not wait for me.' He stood up, then grabbed a huge axe that had been leaning beside the door. He then moved out, his long stride taking him out quickly. A minute after he left, I remembered that I did not tell him my name. It just seemed suddenly so important that I tell him it. I excused myself from Father's presence, then ran after the stranger, reaching him just as he was mounting his horse.

'Wait sir!' I called out. He stopped, then looked at me. 'My name is Lugh.' I said breathlessly.

'Lugh, eh?' He smiled. 'Well met Lugh. I am Hector.'

I swear that my heart stopped beating for a few seconds. Then, belatedly, I bowed my head. 'I'm sorry my lord! I shou-'

'Bloody hell!' He swore. 'I get enough of that "My Lord" crap when I'm at home! Listen, this was a casual visit, and I don't like being groveled at anyhow. Just Hector will be fine.'

'Right then Hector! 'Til we meet again!' I grinned widely, feeling admiration for the Marquess welling up inside me. He nodded his approval, then rode off.

That was the last time I saw Lord Hector alive.

* * *

It had been a week since Lord Hector's appearance at the orphanage. All of us were at the garden, tending to the few plants that had managed to cling to life. The garden from my childhood, which was a lush jungle of leaves and vines, was now just a tangle of dried roots and browned leaves. I was thinking that we should just dig the struggling plants up and plant in some fresh seeds. Father seemed to think that the plants could pull through, but it did not seem likely. We scavenged through the dried bushes for anything left that was edible. So far, we had found a potato, three tomatoes, one of them just a little too ripe, and a disfigured parsnip.

There was a clanking sound in the distance, and I raised my head to see what is was. A small group of people was heading towards us.

'Father,' I stood up, looking at him. 'Was anyone visiting today?'

'Not that I was aware of.' He too stood up, and looked at the group approaching. As they got closer, I noticed the banner of the kingdom of Bern, the wyvern holding a wickedly barbed spear.

'Children,' Father said slowly. 'I want you to go inside.'

'But-'

'I said go!' He snapped. The little ones looked briefly at him, then turned and fled into the orphanage. 'That includes you two as well.' He turned and looked at me and Chad.

'Father, at least let me stand by you!' I looked at him with imploring eyes.

'Me too. We may not be able to do much, but we want to be here.' Chad also spoke.

There was a deafening silence, then he sighed,

'Fine.' He shook his head. We turned to see the group heading steadily towards us.

The leader was mounted on a horse: a large, angry grey stallion. He looked at us disdainfully as he passed, then rode directly towards the garden. Father, with speed that surprised me, suddenly rushed to block his path.

'Please, good sir.' He spoke to the leader. 'This garden is all we have left to feed us. Could you not find another path?'

The man snorted, glaring down his nose at Father. I saw Chad tense up, his fists curling into balls. 'You call this a garden? Barely more than a dirt patch if you ask me. Move aside!' When Father did not move, he glared angrily. 'Fine then...' His voice went deadly cold. 'Men! Dispose of him!'

I watched, frozen to the spot as the first of the men approached Father. He raised his lance, preparing to strike. Father murmured a few words, then stretched out his hand. There was a brief flash of light, and the man yelped as his spear burst into flames. The commander glared hatefully at Father, then unsheathed his sword. Father looked levelly at him, then raised his hand once again. As he started murmuring the words of his lightning spell, a man behind him thrust forward with his spear.

It was if time had stopped. As the same time, I yelled out a warning to Father, Father unleashed his spell and the soldier's spear punctured through Father's back. There was a spray of blood, and father gasped in surprise and pain. The soldier let go of his spear then backed away. The commander, who's face was now badly burned on one side, snorted again, then waved his men forward. They marched uncaringly through the garden we had worked so hard to keep alive these few weeks, and past Father, who was shuddering in large, gasping breaths. Chad and I moved quickly towards him, Chad took hold of his shoulders and I took a look at the spear. I winced; it looked as if it had punctured his lung.

'Lugh, Chad,' He hoarsely spoke to us, his voice rasping. He coughed suddenly, spraying blood on the ground.

'Don't speak Father!' I spoke, worry in my voice. 'You'll only hurt yourself more!'

'Take... care of them' He spoke, his voice little more than a whisper. He then clenched his teeth and eyes against the pain, and died. We crouched there, stunned and alone. Then, very slowly, I removed the spear from Father's back and let it fall from my hands.

His blood stained the tattered remains of the garden.

* * *

It wasn't much of a grave, but it was the best we could do. More of a mound really. We all stood and paid our respects. I was still in shock, not believing that the man who had looked after me for most of my life had suddenly died, and in so much pain as well. Many of the little ones didn't understand, and just stood by the grave uncomprehendingly.

This was no place for the little ones. Only more of Bern's troops would pass by, and they may decide to slaughter us all.

Bern. The simple thought of the nation set my blood boiling. This was all their fault. If they hadn't started their stupid war, then we would not be half staved and Father would still be alive. Rei would still be here, and Chad would not have had to resort to stealing. No. I must not think of what things might have been like. This was reality, and I must deal with it.

The next morning, I set out for the capital of Araphen. I will tell them of what happened, and they will hopefully do something. I know not what they will do, but I hope that they shall act soon. Chad and I may be able to survive, but the little ones... I sighed and continued down the path, hoping for things to miraculously get better.

* * *

(Sniff) Poor Lucius... I wish it didn't end like that, but alas, that's how the game goes. Hector's next... Damnit! Why does he have to die! And in the third chapter too!

Anyway... I'm not to happy with this chapter. Lugh seems a little too quiet. I know that this is sort of a sad, angsty chapter, but still... The chapter's done and I can't think of any other way to rewrite it. You'll just have to live with it.

**Chapter 4: Toy Knights **(Chad's POV)

R&R Please!


	4. Toy Soldiers

It is official, my school is weird. Why, I hear you ask? Well, let's just say that the teachers will do anything for charity. Today, Mr Hooper and Mr Hubrey had their legs waxed for the Leukemia Foundation. And if that wasn't bad enough, it was auctioned off who would get to pull the first strips of their legs... They didn't even scream in pain or anything, and Mr Hooper's legs were really hairy... That must have hurt... At least it was for a good cause. 

Anyway, enough from my weird, freaky life. For the first time, I'M ON TIME FOR AN UPDATE! (Hooray!)

**shnickers-** That is a lot of questions... Luckily, I like answering them! Yes, there will be spoilers, but they will be spaced out, with the huge spoilers in the end chapters, so hopefully you'll be able to finish the game before I get up to writing them. I took a lot of information from the game, but since it doesn't really go into detail with Lugh and the rest of the orphans, I did have to make a lot of stuff, such as the FE 7 characters popping in. With Chad, it's being implied that he is the bastard son of Matthew. For full details on THAT, see the text above chapter 2.

Right, in the game, the Father of Lugh's orphanage did die. It never mentioned in the game that the Father was Lucius, but Lucius's ending in FE 7 did hint that he was. I just made the connection. Oh! And if you want a full translation of FE 6, go to and search for it. There is a script translation of the entire story, and not a translation of the supports. It's a pain in the neck, switching from text to game then back to text, but if you want the entire story, it's the way to go!

**serra's evil twin-** Alas, Lucius has to die because if he didn't, then Lugh and Chad would never have left the orphanage, and thus would have never joined with Roy and Co. The father of Lugh's orphanage does die in the game, but is doesn't actually say that the Father is Lucius or not. But, there are signs that he is, so that's how it goes. Thanks for the support too!

**Mandy-** Thanks for saying so! Hopefully, we'll be getting out of the angsty part of the story soon, but you'll have to put up with one more sad chapter.

**Sara Jay-** (Sobs) LUCIUS! It's not fair! He has to die for the sake of the story though... AND HECTOR IS NEXT! WHEN WILL IT END! All my fave characters are disappearing before my eyes...

**IMPORTANT NOTE: DON'T SKIP!**

If you didn't read my review response to shnickers, then you'll need to see this. From this chapter onwards, there will be spoilers to the game plot. It will be spaced out through the chapters, but it will be there. If you don't want to have the plot ruined for you, then I suggest that you stop reading when I get up to or past the current game chapter you're on.

Before we start, special credit goes out to Firelizard, who has posted up a translation for both the Game and the Support Conversations. Without them, this fic would not have been possible.

**Disclaimer- **If I owned Fire Emblem, then Lucius and Hector would not have to die! As well as countless other people! But noooooo, they cark it in the third bloody chapter. So, don't blame me for their deaths, because I don't own it.

**

* * *

The Saga of the Discarded **

A Fire Emblem fanfic by Kiri-Ryu

**Chapter Four: Toy Knights**

**Chad **

I laid as still as I could, and waited for the army to come.

It had been three days since Father's death, and we had abandoned the run down orphanage. It was hard to think of it as so, but in the end that was what it was. Lugh had returned, saying that the Emiline Church had agreed to take the little ones in. Lugh and I were to lead them to an area just outside of Castle Araphen, where the Church would pick them up. On the way, however, we had seen something that had shocked us to the core.

The Lycia Alliance Army and the Imperial Army of Bern were in the middle of a fight. We had watched in silence, hoping that the soldiers would not notice us. I told Lugh to take the little ones away, and I would distract the soldier's attention if they decided to attack. Lugh was reluctant, but he agreed. I had snuck up to the edge of the war zone, and watched silently. What I saw did not comfort me.

The Lycia Alliance Army was loosing. Though their soldiers were easily more skilled than the Bern troops, they were hideously outnumbered. Not to mention the Bern Wyverns that circled in the air, occasionally swooping down to snatch an Alliance soldier and then drop him from 50 feet in the air. I watched as the Lycia Army was decimated, until there were only a few people left standing. One of these people was Lord Hector.

You wouldn't expect a lone man to last very long against such numbers, but he stood rooted to his spot, his gigantic axe swinging wildly. Many soldiers fell to his axe before he was finally subdued. I watched from my cover, feeling weak and powerless, as he was taken into the castle by enemy troops, still struggling against their grasp.

* * *

Hours passed, and I was still crouching behind the bushes, watching the waves of the Bern Army slowly dissipate. I watched, and waited for a soldier to notice me and then spear me through the chest, as they did Father. 

'Hey,' A voice sounded behind me, and I jumped in surprise. I quickly turned to see a man standing before me. He looked little older than I was, about 16 at my guess. His flame red hair was tied back with a blue bandanna, and his deep blue eyes looked at me in confusion. He wore a blue breastplate, with an expensive-looking blue tunic underneath and a black undershirt underneath that. Hanging off his waist was a longsword, which was half hidden by his blue cloak. He looked of Lycian lineage, but there was something... Else there.

'Ah!' I jumped back, instinctively throwing my hands over my head.

'Easy, We're not going to hurt you. We're here to back up the Lycia Alliance Army.' His hands were facing me, showing that he was not going to hurt me. I slowly got up, then I looked at the small group behind him.

'You think that your group could defeat the Imperial Bern Army? Even Lord Hector wasn't able to stand up to them!' I didn't mean to insult the group, but is was ridiculous to think that such a small group could stand up to Bern's Army.

'Wait, you said that Lord Hector was defeated!' His voice took on a tone of worry.

'Defeated yes, but they didn't kill him. They took him inside the Castle.'

'So Lord Hector is still alive?' His worry subsided a little, but it was still there. 'Please, tell me your name.'

'Chad.' I said quickly.

'Do you know the inside of Castle Araphen well?' He asked me.

'I guess.' I replied nervously. I had been there a few times, but it was to steal food and money for the orphanage. I doubted that the man in front of me would be impressed with my occupation. But, why would he want to know the inside of Castle Araphen? 'Wait... Are you guys planning on going in to save Lord Hector? That's ludicrous! The bulk of Bern's forces are gone, but there's still a decent number of soldiers in the castle, you know? It would be suicide to try and charge them with your army!'

'Perhaps.' He spoke to me in an even voice, his deep blue eyes boring into my brown ones. 'But we can't afford to loose Lord Hector. And you said that their main forces are gone right? Then there is a chance that we may win.'

I was going to tell him that he was bloody mad, but I stopped and considered. Bern had killed Father, and now I had a chance to strike back at them. Plus, the members of this small army looked as if they could take care of themselves. So, based on these facts, I came to a decision. 'I see... Then I guess I'll go along too. I can show you around the castle.'

'What?' He exclaimed, surprise in his face. ' No, no, don't feel pressured! If you could just explain what the interior of the castle looks like...'

'I also want revenge against Bern.' I told him quietly, down-casting my eyes. Damned Bern. It took everything away from me. Father, the orphanage, everything! I looked into the red-haired man's eyes, hoping for him to understand. 'Let me go with you!' I pleaded.

He was silent for a while, then sighed. 'All right then. I'll allow you to join. My name is Roy, and I am the son of the Marquess of Pherae. I am also the leader of this army.'

My mind boggled for a bit. The Heir of Pherae! And I had spoken to him so disrespectfully! I pushed it out of my head, knowing that there were more important things at hand. 'Lord Roy, I can help you in other ways too. I have... Nimble fingers. If you want me to open a locked chest or door, then just let me know!' I closed my eyes, hoping that he would not find my thieving skills disgusting.

'In that case, I'll be counting on you.' I opened my eyes, to see him looking at me with some unknown emotion. Respect? Courtesy? Either way, it was not the loathing I had expected.

'My lord,' I spoke suddenly. 'I have to go and check on something first. Do you mind if I leave for a little bit?'

'As long as you return before we get inside the castle, then I have no objections.' He nodded, and I scurried off to find Lugh and the little ones.

* * *

It did not take me long. Lugh was standing by himself in the ruins of an old village. He saw me, then waved me over. 

'Chad, you're okay!' He smiled.

'Lugh? What are you doing here?' I said looking at the shabby ruins. 'And where are the little ones?'

'We fled here after you went to distract the Army, then we met with the Emiline church. They're going to take care of the little ones for a while.'

'What about you?' I asked him

'What?'

'How come you're still here?'

'... The same reason as you.' His face turned deadly serious, and his aqua eyes were firm.

'Lugh, you're not thinking of...' I said slowly.

'I can use magic! You've seen me with my Fire spell book, I can help!'

'Lugh, don't force yourself. You've never liked hurting people. Do you think that you can kill?'

'But...' He looked at me with pleading eyes.

'I'm going to avenge Father. Lugh, you should go and stay with the others.' It hurt for me to say this, but I knew that it was the best way.

'... No.' His voice took a firm tone, and he looked me in the eyes. 'I'm not going to hide any more! Everyone, everyone just disappears! Rei left, then Father was killed, and I was helpless to do anything about it! I want to fight to protect the people I care for. I want to protect, and not just be protected!' He squared his jaw. I sighed, knowing that I could not change his mind.

'All right then Lugh. We'll fight this war, get revenge, then return back to the little ones.'

His eyes brightened immediately, then he nodded and started walking in the direction of Castle Araphen. With doubts about how he was going to cope with this war, I followed.

* * *

We reached Castle Araphen just in time to see Lord Roy's army in a skirmish with the remainder of the Bern army. From what I could see, the groups were breaking even. We rushed forward to see what we could do. 

As we got closer, we noticed all the bloodshed. People lay on the ground with their intestines splayed near them, or with half a skull left because an axe went through it. I thought Lugh was going to throw up, but he simply squared his jaw and moved on. If we were to join this army, these were the sort of images we had to get used to.

There was a strangled cry, and we turned to see one of Bern's troops being speared by a knight in green armour. The knight then stopped his horse to that he could retrieve his spear from the man's carcass, but apparently the tip was hooked on a rib or something, because the Knight wasn't able to withdraw it. As he struggled with his weapon, I saw an axe-man slowly sneaking up on him, his axe raised. I was about to shout a warning to the green knight when I heard the murmuring of arcane words. I turned to see Lugh, his hands waving around him in an intricate pattern that I had seen many times before.

The axe fighter smiled cruelly and prepared to bury his blade into the green knight's back. As he was about to swing, a large pillar of flame engulfed him. A scream filled the air, and the stench of burning flesh wafted into my nostrils. The green knight jumped in surprise, then noticed the burned char that used to be a man. He then saw us, and began to ride towards us.

'You two, why are you here? This is a battlefield, not a playground for little children.' He spoke harshly, but truthfully.

'Hey, we're part of Lord Roy's army too.' I told him, meeting his fierce gaze. 'And if you didn't notice, Lugh here just saved your life.'

He was silent, then sighed. 'So, you're the thief that Lord Roy hired.' He spoke calmly. I winced, not used to being referred to as such. 'He's waiting for you up ahead.'

The knight then wheeled his horse around and galloped off to another fight. Lugh looked at me, shock in his eyes. I sighed, knowing that this was going to happen.

'I killed him.' He said in a small voice. 'I raised my hand, and cast the spell that killed him.'

'Lugh, you did what you had to do. If you didn't, then that knight would be lying dead on the ground now.' I tried to comfort him. He looked at me, then nodded solemnly.

'We had better go see Lord Roy.' He said, starting to walk towards the Castle again. I paused, then followed after him.

* * *

Father had always commented on my nimble fingers. I had always been good at art, and I had once hoped to get a job as an illustrator for one of the noble houses. 

Now, the same dexterous fingers that I had prided for their drawing skills were now carefully manipulating a lock pick. How had I ever sunk this low? I twisted my left hand to the left, and heard a soft click. I carefully twisted the handle, and the door swung open. A hand grasped my shoulder, and I looked up to see Lord Roy. He nodded his approval, then moved forward into the room, sword drawn. I moved out of the way, and let the rest of the Army move through. I heard sounds of fighting from the other side, knowing that we had reached the last resistance forces in the castle. I waited a few seconds, until I heard the sounds of footsteps stopping beside me.

'Aren't you going in?' Lugh asked.

'No,' I shook my head. 'I'm not that much of a fighter, and I've seen enough bloodshed for one day.' I paused, remembering briefly the man that I had killed by plunging my dagger into his back. He had frothed red foam before collapsing. I shook my head, trying to dislodge those terrible memories. This was a war, people died.

A scream erupted from the room, one that sounded of death. I guessed that Lord Roy's sword had been thrust through his opponent's stomach. Blood and gore would pump fourth from the wound until no life clinged to the man's body.

I walked away from the door, moving towards the courtyard. Lugh followed me, uncharacteristically silent. We moved out of the slaughter only to see the mounds of dead bodies. A few people that had stayed behind to protect the merchant that was with us were now building large pyres to burn them. Silently, Lugh and I went to help.

Lugh cast a fire spell, and the pyre lit up into a blaze of flame. We all stood silently, the light from the flames dancing on our faces, and we mourned the dead.

Eventually, when the pyre had burned low and the sun was near setting, Lord Roy and a few others emerged from the castle. The body that was in their hands was unmistakable. Another pyre was built, and Lugh once again set it aflame. Out of all the things that Lugh expected to do in his life, lighting the funeral pyre for Lord Hector was probably very low on his list.

The night was silent, the day's massacre settling on people's minds. I wondered if this is what it was going to be like, long silences as we reflected on the day's killing.

The silence was finally broken by Lord Roy. He stood up, cleared his throat, and addressed us.

'We are to head towards Ostia.' He told us simply. 'Bern has resurrected dragons, and there are weapons in Ostia that are able to defeat them, or so Lord Hector told me...' He paused, took a deep breath, then continued. 'This is the last night of mourning. Tomorrow, we move. It is likely that we will face more opponents, but we cannot spend every night mourning the dead. We must get to Ostia as soon as possible, and we cannot waste time mourning those dead. This may seem harsh, but it is necessary.'

'Ostia...' Lugh said softly, looking deep into the fires. 'I always wanted to go to Ostia, and Pherae too. Chad, remember when Lord Raymond came back from his travels in Ostia, and he brought those little toy knights?' He smiled at the memory. 'We used to spend hours playing with them in the garden. Rei lost his, and spent the rest of the day sulking in his room. Eventually, Father had to go outside and look for it. He found it lodged in the branches of the tree outside.'

I looked at him, wondering why he was suddenly recalling this bright memory in what was surely a dark and sad time.

'Chad, we can't focus on the bad things that happen. If we do, then they'll just tear us apart. So, whenever something bad happens, just focus on those toy knights, okay?' He looked at me with those big eyes of his.

It sounded so stupid, remembering those silly little painted knights during such sad times. But it helped. I could remember mine, which was painted green with gold edges. I had spent hours playing with it, and the warm memories flooded through me, pushing away the darkness that had threatened to engulf me a few minutes ago.

'Yeah,' I told Lugh. 'I'll remember them.'

* * *

That was soooo corny, but it does seem like something Lugh would say. What do you guys think? Let me know.

Go Roy!

**Chapter 5: Traitors and Healers **(Lugh's POV)

R&R Please!


	5. Traitors and Healers

Whee. It's the school holidays, and I've got the flu... Typical. 

_The Rant of the Chapter:_ If people reviewed more than once in this story, then I would have an incredibly large amount of reviews for thin fanfic. I mean it! This story has 14 reviews from 10 different people! (You're excused Sara Jaye, you've reviewed every chapter I've put up). I mean, could you at least post up a review with some constructive criticism or what you didn't like about the chapter or something! No flames though, they suck.

This chapter is a lot less depressing then the previous few. I'm hoping to drag it out of the sad and melancholy stage and into something a bit brighter.

**Sara Jaye-** You have a good point. Hector did have good life, and in the medieval days if you were over forty, you weren't doing too bad. But still... HECTOR! (Sob) Damnit, why do you have to die! Anyway... Thanks for sticking with the story. Since you're the only one who's reviewed for each chapter, YOU GET THE BIG BADGE OF FAITHFULNESS!

**Lack Thereof-** This has got to be the most unusual and amusing review I've gotten for this story. I'm glad you think that all the characters are, quote, "so freakin' in-character". I couldn't help but laugh at that... Thanks fo pointing out the mistake with Rei's chapter, I realise nowthat I did muck up with that. But I'm too lazy to change it now. So, I'll cover myself up by saying that he IS leaving for the little kids, but just hasn't realised it yet. Or that he is telling himself that he doesn't care about them when secretly, he does. There. Done. Fixed.

**GunpowderWizard-** Thanks for the support, and I'm hopping that we've gotten out of the depressing stuff. This chapter at least is a lot happier than the previous ones.

BOOM right back at ya.

**Disclaimer-** I do own Fire Emblem. Why? Because Julplath the magic talking Lamington told me so. But he lies often, so maybe I don't own it. I'll have to ask Yarmok the Dread Waffle of Doom, he'll tell me the truth.

**

* * *

The Saga of the Discarded**

A Fire Emblem fanfic by Kiri-Ryu

**Chapter Five: Traitors and Healers**

**Lugh **

He rushed at me, axe held high over his head. I murmured the words of my spell and moved my arms and hands in the gestures required. There was a brief flash of light, and the bandit burned up in a pillar of flame. I turned around, looking to see if anyone else needed help, but the rest of the army was doing well. The group of bandits were decimated in a small amount of time. When we had killed all that had attacked us, Lance and Alan volunteered to scout and see if there were any more bandits. Roy gave his consent, and the two knights went off.

These bandit attacks were a regular occurrence. Because of the war, many people had to resort to robbery and crime to stay alive, as well as the regular bandits increasing their activity while the chaos of war was going on around them. They hindered our path and stole precious time that could have been spent traveling to Ostia, but it was good for us in a way. The attacks kept our senses and skills sharp, and it also helped to harden our emotions. I still did not like killing people, but I now knew that I had to. I felt regret, but I could ignore it until later.

'Lugh!' Roy's voice called me, distracting me from my thoughts. I wove quickly through the ranks, until I stood in front of our army's leader.

'Yes, Lord Roy?' I asked him, standing as straight as I could.

'I'd like to ask you a favour. I know that you're an excellent mage, and your work is greatly appreciated in the front lines. But I would like you to hang back and protect our merchant, Merlinus. With these bandit attacks become more common, I fear for his safety.' He looked into me with those blue eyes of his.

'Sure, I'll do it.' I was both glad and disappointed about my change of positions. I was glad for the reprieve, to where there was a chance where I did not have to char someone beyond recognition. But at the same time, I was not proving my worth to the group, just straggling beside the merchant, occasionally attacking enemies that got too close.

'That's good.' Roy smiled, nodding his approval. 'I'd introduce yourself to Merlinus now. I don't think you've properly met.' He turned, his attention drawn somewhere else. I stood still for a moment, before walking off to the merchant's wagon.

'What did Lord Roy want?' I turned to see Chad walking towards me. I waited patiently until he caught up.

'I'm to protect our merchant Merlinus.' I told him. 'It'll be good to get of the battlefield for a while. But I'll miss not being up there, helping out the others.'

'You've changed.' Chad noted. 'Then again, who doesn't when there's a war on? I think I might join you for a while. I'm not really of much use on the front line.'

I was glad for Chad's company. I think that if he wasn't in the army with me, I would not have been able to cope as well as I have. We moved through the ranks of the army until we reached the Merchant's wagon. It was simple, a bit tattered in places as if it had seen a lot of fights, as it most probably had. There was a man sitting at the front of the wagon. He was portly and balding with a large blue moustache. His appearance struck me as comical, and he certainly did not fit in with the battle-hardened warriors that comprised the rest of the army. I walked up calmly to him, a smile plastered on my face.

'Hey, are you Merlinus?' I asked him. The man turned to look at me... And his face went white.

'Oh no...' He said, eyes widening. 'The ghosts of the past have come to visit me!'

'Hm?' I was confused at his statement. 'I'm sorry, do you know me or something?'

'... No, I mistook you for someone else, someone I knew a long time ago...' His face regained some color. 'Still, you look... Never mind. So what do you want?'

'I'm Lugh, and I was told to guard the merchant.' I looked around at the back of the cart, looking at all the items that were stored there. 'Wow, there sure is a lot of stuff here...'

'Lugh... Lugh...' Merlinus mused, stroking his moustache. '... Didn't she have a son called Lugh? Oh no, it's the next generation! St. Emiline preserve me!'

At this point, Chad cracked up laughing. He had to lean on the side of the wagon to keep his balance. I looked at him, confused. I turned to Merlinus, then I too bust out in laughter. His face had gone white again, but it had also contorted into a weird shape, making his moustache stick out as if he had a blue porcupine on his face. He looked affronted at our merriment, but we couldn't have stopped if we tried.

Eventually, when our sides hurt from the laughter and we had settled ourselves down, we apologised to Merlinus. Still angry and shocked, the merchant sent us to the back of the wagon. We didn't complain, taking a seat at the back. We talked between ourselves, saying nothing in particular. It was as if the war wasn't happening, and we were just traveling with a group of friends. It would have been better if Rei had been with us, but it was no good pining after something you couldn't have.

I think it was at that time that I came to realise that this army was my new home. I had found a place to belong again.

* * *

We traveled without attack for three days, eventually arriving in Laus. The land was different to Araphen's. Araphen was a dry land, with greenery appearing only in spring; and summer too if we were lucky. Laus was lush and vibrant, the grass a deep shade of green and sparkling blue rivers flowing through the land. I felt at peace here, but I noticed that many people were tense. I ran up to Sir Marcus to ask why this was.

He swiveled around in his saddle to look at me, fixing his purple eyes on my aqua ones.

'Twenty ago, Laus turned traitor to the Alliance. That was when Lord Darin was Marquess. His son, Lord Erik, is no better and I suspect fowl play from him.' His armour clanked as he shifted his weight on his saddle.

'How could someone betray his own nation? Or, how could they side with Bern, who's armies slaughter innocents just for fun?' I asked the old paladin.

'Because power corrupts, Lugh. Bern has the most power, especially considering that her armies have taken over Ilia and Sacae. People such as Erik will either become afraid of that power, or they will want it for their own. People such as him have no sense of loyalty. I'd hate to say it, but perhaps it would have been better if Lord Eliwood had disposed of him when he had the chance...' He shook his head.

'Maybe...' I turned aside, looking forward. Suddenly there was a yell from up ahead. Sir Marcus quickly lifted his head, then spurred his horse forward. I waited for Merlinus's wagon, then I followed alongside it.

'What's happening?' Chad asked me.

'Don't know. I think that there's a fight up ahead.' I told him, before ducking into the back of the wagon. I grabbed my Fire spell book, then returned outside. I heard the sounds of battle ahead, and I resisted the urge to run ahead and join the fray. I had been assigned to protect our merchant, and that was what I was going to do. Chad stood beside me, his body tense and his dagger in his hand. Merlinus's wagon stopped, and we took opposite sides, myself on the left of the wagon and Chad on the right. We watched, and waited.

A mounted unit galloped towards us. I squinted my eyes, trying to see if it was one of our knights. Upon noticing the banner of Laus, I readied my fire spell. The familiar patterns of casting washed over me, and I began the incantations. There was a "fwoosh" sound, which was followed by both a yell and a whinny of pain. I felt sorry for the poor horse, it had done nothing wrong.

I looked around, trying to pick out the members of my army. From what I could see, we were out numbered, at least two-to-one. I knew that we could take it, but still...

'Hey, Lugh!' A voice called out. I turned to see Dieck, a sword-fighter belonging to our army. He was a tall man, criss-crossed with scars. His broadsword was in his hand, and he was running towards us.

'Dieck! What do you want!' I yelled over to him.

'There's been an injury! The healer requests some bandages and sheets!'

'All right! I'll go grab them and bring them over!' An injury? I wondered who was hurt. I moved to the back of the wagon and went to the item shelves, picking out some bandages, a few sheets and a vulnerary salve. These items in hand, I ran over to where Dieck was and let him lead me to where the injured person was.

* * *

A space in the field had been cleared out for the injured man, far away from the fighting. I recognised him as Lot, one of the axe-fighters that had been part of Dieck's mercenary company. He had a large gash across his chest, and his breathing was laboured. Crouching beside him was a priestess of Emiline. She was garbed in white, and her dress was cut to fit her shape. Her brown hair hung from under her habit, falling over her shoulders. He had a worried expression on her face, and she held a staff over Lot's body.

'Excuse me, sister.' I said, just loud enough to be heard. She jumped, then turned to face me. 'I got the bandages and sheets you asked for. I also got a vulnerary salve.'

'Oh, thank you.' She took the items from my hands, then proceeded to apply the salve to the gash on Lot's chest. It quickly scabbed over, then shrunk considerably. The priestess then touched the wound with her staff, and whispered a prayer to St Emiline. The wound shrunk even smaller, and Lot's breathing came easier. The priestess sighed in relief, then wrapped the bandages around the remains of the wound. With Dieck's and my assistance, we picked Lot up and placed him on the sheets.

'Once again, thank you.' The priestess turned to me, flicking a stray strand of hair from her face.

'It's okay.' I told her with a smile. 'Well then... I suppose I had better get going.' I picked up the remaining bandages then turned back to Merlinus's wagon.

'Wait!' She called out to me. I turned to face her again.

'Hm? Yes?' I looked at her quizzically.

'Are you an assistant to the merchant?' She asked me, clutching her staff close to her.

'Not all the time. I fight on the front line sometimes too.' I told her, smiling.

'What?' She sounded surprised. 'A child like you... In battle?'

'I may still be a kid, but I'm pretty good with my magic!' I said a little angrily. If people weren't judging me by my social status, they judged me by my age.

'No, I wasn't doubting your ability...' She downcast her eyes. 'It's just that... Children shouldn't be on the battlefield.'

'I'm only two years younger than Lord Roy 'though.'

'Lord Roy... Well, he has no choice. But that's not the case for you.' She looked up at me again.

'No, I'm no different. I have a reason to fight too.' Father, Rei, and the little ones. I fought for them, I had to. She, of course, did not know this, so my anger subdued a little.

'But...'

'Thanks for being concerned about me.' I smiled warmly at her, discarding my useless anger. It was better off directed at something else, not this priestess. 'But I'll be fine. Oh, I've left my post! I'm sorry, but I have to go. See you later sister!' I turned and ran towards Merlinus's wagon. I briefly wondered what the priestess's name was, but I set it to the back of my mind.

It was not important at the moment.

* * *

The battle went swiftly. Though we were outnumbered, and enemy reinforcements were called in, we had somehow managed to pull through and defeat them. Lord Erik had been killed, falling to the edge of Roy's blade. I saw regret in his eyes as he did it, but he knew it was necessary. From the stories of the nearby villages, Lord Erik was a cruel Marquess, raising his taxes up too high and generally maltreating the public. At least now, they were free of his tyranny. We were allowed to rest in Castle Laus for the night, and I was glad to have an actual bed to sleep upon.

I was lightly dozing when there was a rapping on my borrowed door.

'Who is it?' I asked, rubbing my eyes.

'Chad.' My friend's voice called out. The door swung open and he walked in. 'Got news for you.' He told me, leaning on a wall.

'Go on.' I sat up from my bed.

'We've got two new members to our Army. A mounted healer from Etruria called Clarine, and a swordsman form Sacae called Rutger.'

'That's good.' I sighed 'More members means a better chance of surviving.'

'We're going to be heading to Ostia using an old mountain pass. It's rarely traveled, so there's not much chance of attack. We'll be leaving early tomorrow morning.'

'Somehow, I don't think that it'll be that easy.' I sighed. 'It would be nice if it was, though.'

'Mm. Well, I'm going to head off. See you in the morrow Lugh.' He turned and started walking towards the door.

'Night Chad.' I responded, and I watched him leave. I sighed and laid back on my own bed, musing over the number of changes in my life. I briefly wondered what Rei was doing, but exhaustion fell upon me, dragging me down into the realms of sleep.

* * *

Lol, poor Merlinus. He can't get away, can he?

Also, is this the start of a romance between Lugh and Ellen? I'm not sure yet. I'm leaning that way, but if you guy's aren't too hot about it, I might let is go past. Comments and opinions are always welcome.

**Chapter 6: Seeking Legends** (Rei's POV)

R&R please!

(Oh, as a side note, can any of you guys think of a better description for the story? My current one kinda sucks.)


	6. Seeking Legends

Whew. Finally, I've updated. Sorry, but a mix of school, a writer's block and many other things prevented me from writing this chapter. But I did try, to the point that I got in trouble for writing this in my Maths class. (Big grin) See what I do for you people? 

_Rant of the Chapter:_ (Yes, this is now a regular feature) It has taken thousands, if not millions of years for the English language to progress to this point. And it has taken less than 10 years for it to devolve into this fowl mockery that is used today. You know what I'm talking about, or rather, "u knw wh4t I'm t4lk3n bout n00b". And that was a toned down version of this fowl parody that is now so common amongst us. Now, I realise that it is sometimes necessary, bandwidth limitations and Text message costs, but on a personal letter? Or in a English essay? Damnit, I'm proud of my home tongue, and I'm sure the great literary greats are turning in their graves to see how we have ruined our proud language.

Ahem, now that that's out of my system, onto the reviews. Wow! Look at the number of them! I should bitch about my reviews more often.

**Sara Jaye- **If anything, Merlinus would be mortified about Rei. He may not be as eccentric as Nino, but he has a sharp tongue that is prone to sarcasm and sharp comments. Poor Merlinus is in for hell when they Meet up with Rei! BWAHAHA!

**Snowyiji-** Lilina will make her appearance in the next chapter (Yay!). The game sort of goes into how Hector dies: He died from the injuries he received in the fight for Araphen Castle, as well as maltreatment he got from Zephiel and Narshen.

**Mandy:** Glad you think so. I think the hardest part about this story is making sure everyone is in character, and It's always heartening to hear that I'm doing a good job of it. It also doesn't help that the game is in Japanese. It's good to hear your opinion on the LughxElen pairing, but I have to say that there are many good pairings where one person is much older than the other. Jaffar and Nino, for example, or even Eliwood and Ninian. I mean, she's how old? A thousand years maybe? Yeah, I know that dragons age differently, but I'm trying to make a point here.

**GunpowderWizard/ChickenSage:** ... I really don't know how to reply to this. First- Randomness is good. Second- Glad you enjoy the fic. Making fun of Merlinus is fun, and we should all do it some time in our lives. Third- Hope you've beaten the "Overgrown Space Lizard" by now. If not, then perhaps you need to play something else, or go missile hunting or something. Fourth- Here Kraid, have some annoying people from my class. No, It's OK, you can munch on them as much as you want.

**Urei Sachi:** Thanks for the review, I'm glad that you think my style is all right. And the fact that your enjoying this even though you've never played Fuuin no Tsurugi is really inspiring for me. Hope you keep reading!

**Hikari:** Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Thanks for giving yours, but as mentioned before, I'm not much of a shonen-ai fan, so don't expect any pairings of that sort in this fic.

**Rosa Aquafire:** Welcome back! Glad you like it so far.

**Lack Thereof:** Heh, I think that if Merlinus was a crayon, he'd be black. I'm going to have so much fun torturing him later. He he he... Ahem, unfortunately Hugh will not be turning up in this chapter. But I promise that he'll be turning up soon. Hugh rocks.

**Stuck-in-a-tree: **Not all the into. I made a lot of the stuff up, such as Matthew being Chad's father and the like. Let's hope that I don't quit writing this, but who knows...

Whew... Well, after much waiting here is the next chapter.

**Disclaimer:** If I had the time, I would go out and slaughter the CEO of Intelligent Systems and demand to be made the **MASTER** of Fire Emblem, but I've got exams coming up... Maybe next school holidays... But until then, I still do not own Fire Emblem.

**

* * *

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**The Saga of the Discarded **

A Fire Emblem fanfic by Kiri-Ryu

**Chapter Six: Seeking Legends**

**Rei **

Dragons.

Mythical creatures of legend. It was said that they were so powerful, that one dragon alone could lay waste to an entire army. It was also said that they brimmed with magical power, and only the most powerful and knowledgeable humans could even think of trying to learn their spells.

I learned about dragons from Father and the many tales in books that he had in the orphanage. In my youth, I had thought of them as amusing stories. But now, I see them as a vast source of power, just waiting to be tapped into.

The cup of tea was set in front of me, and I thanked the serving girl, flipping her a gold coin. After she moved off, I picked up my cup and took a light sip.

My searches had lead me to Aquleia, the capital of Etruria, and to it's great libraries. If there was any books which had information on the dragons, then it should have been here. But, after weeks of combing through the tomes of all the Libraries here, all I had were a bunch of legends. I was annoyed to no end, but I did not expect my search to yield results to me so easily. No, to find useful information about dragon magic would require more... Unusual methods.

'Sorry I'm late.' A voice that could only be described as sounding like a ferret that had been stood on came from behind me. I did not turn as my associate walked up to me. He took a seat opposite me.

'Sorry? I doubt you even know the meaning of the word. You only use it for polite conversation.' I snorted, taking another sip of tea.

'You're a very pessimistic person aren't you?' He noted.

'Perhaps, or maybe I just simply tell it how it is.'

'Perhaps...' The man raised his fingers and waved the serving girl over, then ordered something from the menu. She bowed, then moved inside to tell the chef of his order. 'I've managed to get some information for you.' He said after a while.

'I'm listening.' I raised my cup once again.

'I haven't been able to find any information in the location of Arcadia, tho-'

'If that's the case, then you've failed me.' I glared at him.

'Hold on! St Emiline, you're bloody impatient aren't you? I was going to say that I've got information on where you can find actual dragons.'

'Actual dragons?' I raised an eyebrow. 'Ones outside of Arcadia?'

'Yup. Turns out that Bern is resurrecting them for the war that they've started. And I'm not talking about their wyverns either. I'm talking real, fire-breathing dragons.'

'A rumour.' I sighed. 'I knew that hiring you was a bad idea. I send you out to find information on the dragons of Arcadia, and you give me a rumour of Bern's war.'

'It's not a rumour! People have seen the dragons, have watched as their houses were burned down by creatures too big to be believed.'

'It's still not what I asked for.' I glared at him, folding my arms over my chest. 'I specifically asked for information about Arcadia, and I paid you to seek out that information. I told you that I wouldn't settle for anything less and you give me second rate information that probably is circulating around cheap taverns as we speak. I had expected you to do better than this.'

'Snot-nosed little brat!' He stood up suddenly. 'I work my arse off trying to get information on a bloody legendary city that no-one knows the location of, then upon failing that go for the next best thing, and you just shove it back in my face! Do you think my job is easy or something? Tramping around the country side, looking for fragments of legends and shit? If you want to find your legendary Arcadia, I suggest that you take a fucking long walk to Nabata and start bloody looking!'

'... Perhaps,' I said calmly, unfazed by his outburst. 'I may have been too hasty in discrediting the usefulness of the information you have supplied me with.' I reached to the money pouch that hung at my side. I carefully counted out 22 gold pieces and placed them before him. 'Half the negotiated price, since you didn't get me the exact information that I wanted.'

'Cheers.' He sat down again, then pocketed the money. 'That was all I was asking for. Ah, here comes my meal.' He raised his left hand and waved over the serving girl. She placed his order on the table, then bowed and walked off. With a voracious appetite, he began wolfing down the food in front of him. Disgusting. I finished my tea as quickly as possible without sculling it down.

'I must be going now' I stood up. 'I won't say it's been a pleasure, since that would be lying. But I will say that is has been slightly beneficial.'

'Meh, whatever.' He said between mouthfuls. I moved off quickly, wanting to be as far away from that poor excuse for a man as fast as possible. Both because his weasel-like appearance was sickening me as well as the fact that I left him with my bill. It was petty, but so was demanding payment when you didn't do what was assigned to you. Although... Perhaps what he gave might prove useful. But going to Bern would be a last resort. There were other places I had to check out.

* * *

The cart rolled on endlessly, gently rocking as it moved down the road. I dozed in the late afternoon sun. I had hired myself out as a guard, and the merchant I was with was heading towards my destination. According to information I had found, there were two people still alive that know the location of Arcadia. One of them kept his location hidden from the outside world, but the other was quite public, and rumours of him flooded through Aquleia almost daily. So, my searches lead me to Reglay, a territory south of Aquleia. And if I was lucky, I would be able to meet with the legendary Lord Pent. The sole student of the Archsage Athos. 

'Rei, wake up.' The merchant I was with nudged me to consciousness. I blinked, then rose up so that I was sitting.

'What's the problem?' I asked him

'I might be needing your expertise soon. Look at the rock cropping to our left.'

I stood up, then squinted, trying to see past the stone cropping. Sure enough, the top of someone's head stuck out from behind it. I smirked, then adjusted myself into a spell casting position. I watched, waiting for the cowardly bandits to arise and attack. As we passed the outcropping, there was a yell of fury, and five well-built men rushed towards the cart. My smirk widened, and I began to chant.

I find than whenever I use my powers, I lose myself in the casting. So absolute is my concentration in casting the spell that everything else washes away in insignificance. My hands and arms move in intricate patterns, and I speak the words of a long forgotten language. Then, the exhilaration of the spell going off. The world returns to me, and I watch the labours of my casting come to fruition.

A wave of darkness streaked towards the bandits, smothering them. They scream wordlessly, then they start to suffocate.

'Drive on.' I told my employer, who nodded and flicked the reins. I watched the bandits struggle for a bit longer, then I returned to dozing in the sun, waiting for the cart to reach it's destination.

* * *

In comparison to Aquleia, the capital of Reglay was a small place. But it was still a city of epic proportions, and I could tell that it was well kept. The streets were clean, and people walked happily down the streets. 

I walked casually along the road, taking in all the sights. I had been paid for my services, so I was free to wander the city. I brushed past other people, catching fragments of conversations that had nothing to do with me. I felt strangely at peace here, it was more laid-back than the rest of Etruria. Lugh would have liked it here... No, I shall not think of the life I left behind. There was nothing there for me now, my destiny lie ahead in the splendor of Arcadia, not in a washed-out old Orphanage. And anyway, Lugh, Father and the others were probably doing better without me.

I wove my way through the streets until the I was able to see the towers of Castle Reglay. Within was Lord Pent, and the knowledge of the location of Arcadia. From the rumours that I have heard of Lord Pent, he readily gives audience to his guests. My odds of finding my destination were looking brighter and brighter every minute. I reached the gates of the Castle, and I strode forward with purpose and confidence.

'Excuse me young man, where do you think you're going?' Two lances crossed and barred my path. I stopped and glared at the two guards.

'State your name and reason for coming to castle Reglay.' Said one of the guards.

'Rei, I'm here to discuss an important matter with the Count.' I told them simply and truthfully.

'You think he'll give just anyone admittance?' The other guard sneered. 'He's a busy man, you know, without having to see children who think that they-'

'By St. Emiline!' A feminine voice floated out from the garden, and I watched as a woman rushed towards us. She was dressed in fine but practical clothes, which included a set of gardening gloves that had recently been stained with dirt. She had long blond hair which was tied into a braid behind her. It was silvering with age, but it gave her more of a regal and knowledgeable appearance. I guessed that she was in her mid-forties. She reached the guards and started chastising them. Confusion overwhelmed me. Just who was this woman, and why was she sticking up for me?

'Sorry about that.' She smiled lightly. 'But the guards are getting a bit edgy with the Bern war escalating. There are rumors of Bern preparing to attack Etruria, but somehow I don't think we have to worry. But come in! St Emiline, Lord Pent will be so surprised when he sees what the wind has brought to us!' She escorted me to the castle, then showed me to an unoccupied room. Everything was happening so fast, I wasn't able to put together a coherent thought, let alone say something in protest. I was shown to a spare room, where the woman finally relented and left me to wonder what just happened. Somehow, not only was I admitted into Castle Reglay, but I was now an honoured guest.

Still trying to organise my thoughts, I looked at the room that I had been forced into. It was a reasonable size, and was well-furnished with a large, four-poster bed, a bookshelf, a study-desk and a rug. There was a window to the left of the room, and outside I could see the magnificent gardens that surrounded the castle. It seemed a peaceful and carefree place, and a place where I would not mind staying for a while, if I did not have much more pressing matters. I placed my belongings beside the bed, then I exited the room. The hallways were neat, and torches lined the wall. Servants whisked around, performing their chores to keep the castle clean and running.

I tapped a passing servant girl on the shoulder, and inquired about the location of Lord Pent. She smiled at me, then pointed to the courtyard, telling me that during this time of day, he was usually having afternoon tea in the gardens. I nodded my thanks, and moved of to where she indicated. I wove my way through the maze of hallways, until I once again found myself in the spectacular gardens of Castle Reglay. I looked around, trying to locate the Count. After a few minutes of walking around, I managed to find him. He was not as magnificent at the rumours claimed him to be, but he had a regal look to him, one that could only be obtained by being born of nobility. His long silver hair was tied into a tail, which hung to his mid-back. He sat cross-legged at a garden table with a cup of tea sitting in front of him, and he was deeply engrossed in a thick tome which lay in his lap.

'Excuse me,' I asked politely. 'Would you happen to be lord Pent?'

The man jumped, then turned to face me. A look of surprise crossed his face. 'St Emiline...' He whispered under his breath, before dog-earing the page of his book and placing it on the table.

'Yes, I'm Lord Pent.' He confirmed, still looking at me in wonder. 'And, who might you be?'

'Rei.' I told him simply.

'Well then, well met Rei.' He smiled pleasantly at me. 'Please, take a seat.' He gestured to one of the chairs beside the table. I moved over and seated myself, noting that he watched my movements as I did so.

'So then, what brings you to Castle Reglay?' He asked as soon as I had sat down.

'I need to ask you something' I told him simply.

'Oh?' He raised an eyebrow and lifted his cup of tea to lips.

'I need to know the location of Arcadia'

The Count of Reglay spluttered, half-choking on his tea. After regaining his breath he turned to me in disbelief. 'Arcadia?' He exclaimed. 'What possible business could you have there!'

'I require... Information.' I said hesitantly. I wonder if he would be willing to help me if he knew that I was after the knowledge of the dragons that nested there? 'Information that cannot be acquired anywhere else.'

'Are you sure you've checked everywhere? The great libraries of Aquleia hold vast amounts of knowledge. And if there is truly nothing there, then the collections of Ostia and Bern are quite impressive. I could recommend you a number of places that don't involve going to the hidden city!'

'Please,' I sighed irritably. Did he think that I would come to him first, begging for him to reveal the location to me? No, this was a last ditch resort, something to ask after I had spent all my resources trying to discern the location myself. 'I have combed through the libraries of many great cities, Aquleia included, and none of them had the information I require.'

'Surely...' Pent trailed off. He placed his chin in his hands, and looked me squarely in the eyes. His violet eyes drilled into me, and he spoke somberly. 'Rei, are you after the books and notes of Athos?'

'No, I do not intend to pilfer or copy the writings of Athos.' Why bother? Athos specialised in Anima magic. Though he did dabble in the dark arts, his notes and recordings were not significant enough for me to become interested.

'The dragons then.' Pent continued his accusations.

'It would be grand to see such magnificent beasts, but the are not what I'm truly after.' It was a half truth. I'm not after the dragons themselves, just what they know.

Pent sighed and rubbed his temples. After a moment of silence, he drew in a deep breath. 'I'm sorry Rei, but I cannot tell you where Arcadia lies. And before you protest,' He spoke quickly, cutting me off. 'It's not because that I'm distrustful of you. Quite the opposite! I knew your parents well, and from what little I've observed you seem to be a trustworthy person. But this is a decision I made a long time ago, with both the Archsage and the Protector of the desert. The city must be hidden from the public, in case someone tries to exploit the power that is contained there.'

I fumed silently for a while. To have come so close! Only to be turned away because they were afraid that Arcadia would be tainted by outsiders. But I kept my anger inside, and put on a pleasant, or at least indifferent, expression on my face.

'I understand, although I am a bit bitter about it.' I told him. 'Still, it is quite-'

'Pent, you'll never guess- Oh!' I turned to see the woman from before. She had changed into something less soil-stained. She stopped and looked at us. 'I see you're already become aquatinted.' She said with a smile.

'Yes, Rei was inquiring about some important matters.' Pent smiled fondly at the woman. I summarised that this was the lady Louise, Pent's wife and an archer of no little skill.

'So that's his name. I never caught it when I met him at the gates. But he looks so much like his parents, that I just knew who he was straight away.' She smiled at me, and I found myself once again swept away by her words.

'Well then, how about we show our guest around the castle? I'm sure he would just love to see everything.' Pent rose and picked up the book he had been reading before. I too rose, and followed the two nobles.

* * *

Dawn rose, and I packed up my things. There was no use in me staying any longer than I had to. The Count and Countess had been kind, and had treated me fairly and compassionately. I had longed to leave and continue with my journey, since there was nothing for me here. But they had insisted on me staying the night. Eventually, I relented, agreeing to rest here for a night before I set off. 

Being of a curious nature, Pent and Louise had inquired about my life, and were thoroughly shocked to find out that I had been an orphan since I was four. As if to compensate for my ill fortune, they told me about my true parents. I had been surprised to find out that my mother was an Anima Mage, and one of great power too. When it came to my father, they gave out information about him hesitantly, as if there was something about him that they felt that needed to be hidden from me. Eventually, the night had grown long and we were forced to retire.

When dawn had risen, I packed my things and prepared to set out once again. Arcadia was temporarily out of my reach, but that did not deter me. I walked silently through the castle, trying not to wake anybody. I finally reached the gates, where I nodded farewell to the guards that had been posted. I then focused my sights eastward to my next destination.

To Bern.

* * *

Finally, It's done! I'm not happy with it, but there's not much I can do about it. I've been stuck on this chapter for ages, and I want to proceed with the plot. I'll probably end up rewriting this later. 

**Chapter 7: The Ostian Rebellion** (Chad's POV)

R&R please!


	7. The Ostian Rebellion Part 1

I have returned! Sorry for the wait, but I've been busy with other things. Such as Studying, more studying, School work, Exams, playing Fire Emblem(s) and watching the entire Escaflowne Series... Gee, which of these are the odd two out? 

But, with my midyears over, I should be able to get back into a regular writing scheme again... But no promises. In other news, FIRE EMBLEM IS THE GREATEST GAME EVER! I know that you guys know that yourselves, but I'd just like to reaffirm that. Seima no Kouseki, or the Sacred Stones as it had been officially dubbed, is just as good as I'd hoped it to be. Fave characters so-far are Colm, Forde and Amelia. I've also been playing Seisen no Keifu, since it's said to be the best of the series. Not as pretty at the GBA games, but who cares about that anyway. A very enjoyable game, with bandits that walk as if they have hemorrhoids.

_Rant of the Chapter:_ Right. This time I'm complaining that a lot of countries outside of Japan and America don't get a lot of games and Anime. Including mine! Even though Australia is a well-developed country and we're now best buddies with America, we still get crap all! We've only just getting the Inu-Yasha series, and as far as I know we're not getting FE 8! That's crap! The only reason I've been able to play Seima no Kouseki is because I've got the ROM, but playing it on the computer is nowhere near as fun as playing on the GBA. So, Come on! Send us some stuff! I'm waiting! I WANT FE 8 GOD DAMN IT!

**Sara Jay:** Thanks for your continued support. However, I'm not fixing my single quotes. I'm sorry, but that's just the way I write. Anyway, this is a first person fic, the only thoughts here are the person's that the chapter is centered around, and even then it's just part of the regular text! And even then, when I do write in 3rd person perspective I usually put thoughts (in brackets), because I think that it's really confusing when people just use different quotation marks. There isn't much difference between 'This' and "This". It's just the way I write, I've done it for over a year now and I'm not changing just yet.

GunpowderWizard and friends: This should count as four reviews. It's not fair! Anyway, I'm glad that all four of you are enjoying this. I'd offer GunpowderWizard advice on Halo 2, but I've never played it. Oh well.

**Mandy:** Hey, I like long reviews, It makes the review page seem bigger! And don't worry, I'm not going to break up the group. It just seems natural that Lugh, Rei and Chad should stay together. I'm glad that you enjoyed the last chapter, I was just sort of worried that is wasn't up to the standard of my previous ones. That and I was afraid that people were going to think that I was cramming in FE 7 characters, even though this is a FE 6 fic. Since I got such a good response for it, I don't think I will change it, but I will let you know if I do.

**Lack Thereof:** I don't think I could do Rei without having him be wise-ass. He just seems that sort of way. Glad that the previous chapter surprised you in happy ways. Let us hope it'll continue.

**Urei Sachi:** I've said it before, and I'll say it again, YOUR FIC ROCKS! Damn, I just feel so humbled that you'd write something based on my writings. Grah! Thank you so damn much! You even mentioned me! Self esteem going up!

**angelfish:** Welcome to the reviewers list. Glad you enjoy it. Cass will be turning up soon, though when I don't exactly know.

I had to cut this chapter down, so It'll be in two parts. I mean, this part alone is 6 pages! So, you'll have to wait for the rest.

**Disclaimer:** Hahahahahaha! Since my exams are over, I can now go over to Japan and kill the CEO of Intelligent Systems! Fire Emblem, soon you will be mine! BWAHAHAHA- Oh, shit... I'm broke. Damn. Until I get enough money to fly to Japan, I don't own Fire Emblem.

* * *

**The Saga of the Discarded **

A Fire Emblem fanfic by Kiri-Ryu

**Chapter Seven: The Ostian Rebellion (Part One)**

**Chad **

Our journey to Ostia was an eventful one, completely opposite to what Lord Roy said it would be. We were waylaid by bandits numerous times along the path, and although we were able to repel them, they still slowed us down and delayed us from reaching our destination. But these small skirmishes had not been the main delaying factor in our journey. No, it had been our brief stops in towns that had halted our progress.

The first had been in a small mountain village, which was being harassed by a group of bandits that had occupied a nearby abandoned castle. When Roy agreed to help the villagers, I felt admiration for him. I know well that many Nobles are too high up in their political mightiness to see the needs of the common man. Indeed, the former Marquess of Araphen almost completely ignored the plights of the people that had lived in country. Unless, of course, they were of noble birth. Father had said that not all Lords were like that, but I had found it hard to believe. Sure, there was Lord Raymond, but his title was a thing of the past. He lived as commonly as the rest of us. The other lords, I had nothing but contempt for them, and a reasonable amount of fear of them as well. For these were the people who could order you to be decapitated at a whim. But my views on nobility had been challenged, and slowly changed, by Roy. He was the heir of one of the most powerful titles of the land: he was the son of the Marquess of Pherae. But he did not turn a blind eye to the sufferings of the commoners, indeed he fought for them.

We had charged into battle, and had sweeped the land free of the bandits that had plagued it. I had joined the ranks of the front line for that fight, scouting ahead for brigands that had hidden themselves amongst the trees. Depending on the size of the group, I either alerted the other members of the Army about them, or dealt with them myself. The taking of someone else's life is still something I'm uncomfortable about, but I know that I have no choice. It's either them, or dozens of others of innocent villagers that should have nothing to do with these wars. Like Father.

It had taken us the entire day to dispose of the bandits, so Lord Roy had decided to let us rest in the abandoned castle. It was there that we had met up with Saul and Dorothy of the St. Emiline Church. After a brief discussion with Roy, they decided to aid us in out journey. Father Saul was... Different. Whilst he maintains a veil of holiness and virtue, he is little more than a perverted man with an eye for the ladies. Dorothy, who's meant to be his guardian, seems to guard everyone else from him, including Princess Guinevere.

The matter of the princess is an odd one. She travels with us to end the war, even though she is betraying her brother, King Zephiel, to do it. Once again, she distorts the views I have on the people from Bern. She is kind and compassionate, and often accompanies Lugh and myself at the back of Merlinus's wagon. She listens to our tales of the Orphanage with a small smile, and almost always apologises for the destruction of it.

We had left early the next morning, continuing our journey to Ostia. After a few days of travel, we had reached Toria, a providence just east of Ostia. Roy had decided to pay a visit to Lord Orun, the Marquess of Toria as well as the half-brother of Lord Hector. Alas, what seemed to be a brief reprieve from the war quickly turned into another battle. Wagner, a former advisor of Lord Orun, had turned traitor, assassinating the Marquess and attempting to kill all of us. We were forced to retaliate, killing Wagner and the group of traitors he had with him. It was disheartening for all of us, killing in a place that was meant to be a safe haven from the war. We cleared out the castle, finding a prisoner in the process. Her name was Sue, and she was a Sacaen nomad. Her tribe, the Kutolah, was decimated by Bern's invasion, and she had been forced to flee to Lycia. Only, she had been captured by Wagner, and was going to be used as bait to lure the Sacaen guerilla forces out into the open. It appalled me that someone could use such dirty, underhanded techniques, but then again I had never seen Bern do anything else.

* * *

We have traveled far since then. Sue had decided to join our army, both because she felt gratitude to Roy for rescuing her as well as because it gave her a chance to strike out at Bern. I understood completely, for was that not the reason why I joined myself? 

We had rode for four days straight, and we could now see the City of Ostia on the horizon. I was walking ahead, on scouting duty with Alan.

'It'll be good to see Ostia again.' The Pheraen Knight commented to me. 'Have you ever been there before?'

'No.' I shook my head. 'We were always too busy helping out Father and taking care of the little ones to visit many cities.'

'That's a shame.' He said sympathetically. 'I really hate to come back here with such ill-tidings. I've always enjoyed coming here, and it makes me feel that I've betrayed the city by bearing the news of Lord Hector's death to his daughter. Still, I suppose-'

'Is that smoke?' I interrupted him, my nostrils flaring. The red Knight tuned his head and sniffed the wind.

'St. Emiline, I think you're right.' He said, shock evident in his voice. He squinted his eyes and tried to focus on the city in-front of us. 'The gods, Ostia is in flames! Get on!' He offered me his hand, and I jumped up onto his horse. He wheeled it around and galloped off to the main camp.

'Alan, Chad, what's the matter?' Lord Roy asked us when we reached him.

'Milord, Ostia is in flames!' Alan reported.

'In flames? St. Emiline, Lilina!' Lord Roy swore. He turned around and faced the rest of the company. 'To arms!' He shouted out. 'Ostia is under attack!'

The camp exploded into a frenzy of activity. People moved to Merlinus's wagon and retrieved weapons and supplies. Armour was donned and horses were mounted. The Lycia Alliance Army moved forward at a swift pace, urgency in their footfalls.

Alan stopped his horse and let me dismount. He then wheeled around to join the front lines. I moved swiftly to the wagon, where Lugh was waiting, fear and apprehension in his eyes. I had no words to offer him, so I remained silent.

'Lugh! Chad!' Lord Roy's voice called out to us. 'Forget about protecting Merlinus for the moment, we need you on the front line!'

We looked at each other, then scrabbled to obey our leader's commands. As we approached Ostia, we saw the extent of the damage. Much of the city was destroyed or on fire, and we could see skirmishes within districts of the city. The army, which minutes ago was in such high spirits, looked down upon the war-ravished city in shock. Then, with steely determination, they moved forward.

'Who would have thought?' Lugh said to me, a sad smile on his face. 'We finally get to see Ostia, and it's burning before our very eyes.'

'C'mon Lugh.' I told him. 'Let's go save that little bit that's left then, so we can come back and see it when it's been rebuilt.'

He turned to look at me, then nodded and moved forward, his Fire tome in his arms. I drew my dagger from it's sheath, feeling it's reassuring weight in my hand, then I followed him into the burning city.

* * *

Dodge the incoming sword. Duck under his arm. Thrust the dagger behind me, force it through the flesh of my attacker. Ignore the blood that sprays upon me. It is only blood, it will wash off. Ignore the smell, the coppery taste, the bright crimson that sprays past you. Breathe. Take the blade out of his back and wipe it clean with your shirt. Ignore the stain. It is necessary. It is either them or me. Ignore the bile building up in the back of my throat. Keep breathing. 

'Chad!' The commanding tone of Lord Roy snapped me out of my stupor, and I quickly turned towards him. 'I want you to go with Rutger and check out all the houses in this district to see if there are any survivors'

I nodded to his commands, then turned to Rutger. The Sacaen man nodded to me, then we left. We ran through streets, opening the doors of each house we passed, calling to the people to flee whilst they had the chance. When we encountered a locked house, we called out. If that didn't work, I picked the locks, just to make sure that there was truly no one left there. We were occasionally attacked by rebel soldiers, but they soon fell to Rutger's dancing blade.

We were on the last block when a knight whirled around the corner. Rutger readied himself, his sword's point aimed towards the knight.

'Are you members of the Lycia Alliance Army?' The Knight called out. I looked at Rutger, who shrugged.

'We are.' I called back. 'What business do you have with the Army?'

The Knight relaxed, pointing his spear tip downwards.

'My name is Zealot.' He said as he trotted his horse towards us. 'I'm the leader of an Ilian Mercenary company. I wish to speak with your Warlord.'

I looked at the man. He looked to be in his mid thirties, his hair was a steel grey colour as were his eyes. He wore field-plate armour which was stained a light blue colour with white edges. He seemed trustworthy enough, and the fact that he hadn't tried to kill us yet was comforting. I turned to Rutger for his advice.

'He seems to be telling the truth, and he doesn't seem the type of person to backstab us.' He commented to me. "I see no harm in taking him to see Lord Roy.'

So we led Zealot through the war-torn streets of Ostia, searching for our commander. We eventually found him; he and several other members of our army were engaged with a band of revolutionists. Rutger and I darted forward into the fray. I unsheathed my dagger and plunged it into the unprotected side of a sword wielder. He turned his head to look at me in surprise, then the sword slid from his grasp and clattered onto the ground. As he fell, I grieved for him, as I did for all the men I slew.

'Thanks Chad.' Bors, who had been fighting the swordsman, said to me. The armour knight placed a hand on my shoulder, then moved off to help someone else. Eventually we killed the last person. I cleaned the blood off my dagger's blade, sheathed it and moved to Lord Roy. He sighed warily, sheathing his own sword.

'Lord Roy.' I said, weariness in my own voice. 'A man named Zealot wishes to talk to you.' I indicated to the white-armoured knight, who was beside Lance, cleaning off his spear tip. He turned at the mention of his name, then he wheeled his horse around and trotted towards us. He dismounted and looked Lord Roy up and down

'Are you Lord Roy?' Zealot asked, Lord Roy nodded in response. 'Hm, I was expecting someone a lot older. It's impressive that someone as young as you could command such a fighting force.'

'Thank you for the compliment.' Lord Roy said gracefully. 'What to you want?'

'I am Sir Zealot, the leader of an Ilian mercenary company. My troops and myself would like to be placed under your command.'

Lord Roy was even more surprised than I was. 'This is a bit sudden.' He said in response. 'Why do you want to join with my army?'

'We were hired by Lord Hector to fight alongside the Lycia Alliance Army in the upcoming war against Bern.'

'Lord Hector passed away over a week ago.' I said. I then winced, realising that I had butted into the conversation of two high ranking officers. But neither of the seemed to mind.

'Chad's right. With Lord Hector dead, your contract is broken.' Lord Roy continued my train of thought.

'I already know of Lord Hector's death.' Zealot said sadly. 'All will grieve his passing: he was a true warrior. And in his memory, I wish to continue the terms of our contract.'

Who was Lord Hector, to be able to command such loyalty even after his death? I briefly recalled my meeting with the Marquess. He had been regal and awe-inspiring, but at the same time, casual and kind. When he had first seen me, he had blinked, then sworn loudly, cursing someone's name. Then he had sighed, half-smiled at me and ruffed up my hair. It had been so... So un-noble. And throughout that day he had continued to be un-noble, playing with the little ones, helping Father out and even cutting up some firewood for us. He hadn't been afraid to do the same work that the common man did. Had that been why people had been so loyal to him? That despite his higher station, he was not afraid to work like everyone else?

'... going to retake Ostia.' I snapped out of my thoughts at the sound of Lord Roy's voice. 'It shames me that barely a week after Hector's death that his own men would rebel like this. We have to recapture Ostia, for Lord Hector's sake... And for Lilina's sake as well...'

'I understand.' Zealot nodded. 'I'll gather the rest of my men and we'll help you as much as possible.'

'Thank you.' Lord Roy nodded

'Save your thanks for after we retake the castle.' Zealot moved to his horse and mounted. 'We must concentrate on the enemy right now!' He lifted his lance, then galloped off into the city.

'Chad.' Lord Roy called my name, and I turned to face him. 'Go and tell the rest of the troops to meet outside the castle gates. We have to strike at the heart of the rebellion. Once we've done that, there will only be a few pockets of resistance left which we should be able to deal with easily.' He turned to look me in the eyes. I nodded to his commands, then I ran off to find everyone else.

* * *

We were all assembled in front of the castle portcullis. There were twenty-two of us now, including Zealot and his men. There were three Armour knights standing in front of the gates, two of them were carrying lances, the other held a guisarme. They looked nervously at the assembled army 

'We shall not move!' The armour knight on the left called out. 'Lycia alliance sku-ack!' His hands flew up to his throat and he clutched at the arrow that now stuck out of it. I turned to see Wolt notching another arrow into his bow. The other two armour knights looked at each other. The one on the right dropped his lance the backed off, palms facing us. At least one man was smart enough to choose not to die.

'Coward!' The final knight called to his companion. I saw him tightening the grip on his weapon.

'... Devias?' I turned to see Bors stepping forward.

'Bors!' The armour knight stepped forward, relief in his voice. 'You've returned!'

'Devias...' Bors shook his head. 'I can't believe that you would rebel in Lord Hector's absence. Are you so disloyal?'

'Bors, I-'

'What you have done is unforgivable!' Bors said angrily, but was there also sorrow in his voice? He lowered the tip of his spear at Devias. I watched as the two knights charged at each other. Devias was hit in the shoulder by Bors initial thrust, and his blood seeped out of the wound. Bors withdrew his spear, then readied it again for another thrust. Devias moved with quickness I would not have imagined possible for a man injured such as he was. He lowered his guisarme so that it was level with Bors' feet. He then thrust the polearm to the left side of Bors. He yanked the polearm back, the hook on the side of the guisarme's blade catching on Bors' foot. Bors, surprised by this tactic, was tripped. There was a loud clank as the heavily armoured man fell onto his back. Devias, with a triumphant roar, raised his weapon. People in the army, myself included, ran forward to help Bors. But I think that I was the only one to hear the low murmuring that was Lugh casting a spell, for almost everyone yelped and jumped back when Devias' guisarme burst into flames. With a surprised cry, the knight threw away his weapon. Bors, given this distraction, grabbed his own weapon and trust it upwards. Devon looked at Bors in surprise, then looked at the spear that had penetrated his armour and entered his chest. He made a small noise in the back of his throat, before slumping down on the shaft. Bors dropped his weapon, then stood up. He sighed in a depressed manner, then he turned to Lugh.

'Thank you Lugh.' He said sadly. 'Your quick thinking saved my life.'

'No problem' Lugh said quietly. I paused, then walked over to him.

'You OK Lugh?' I asked him.

'Yeah, but Bors seems depressed, doesn't he?' He asked me.

'I bet that both he and Devias trained together. It must've been hard for him to kill someone that he's grown up with.' Could I do the same thing? If Lugh turned treacherous, could I be the one who thrusts the dagger into his chest? Or if Rei turned up, a shaman for the Bern army, could I kill him? No, I could never do that. But Bors could and did.

'Chad!' Roy called out to me. I turned and moved over to him.

'Yes?' I asked.

'We need to get over this wall.' He told me. 'Do you think you'd be able to?'

In all honesty, I don't like heights. I can't remember the exact reason why I hate heights, but I know that the incident that happened when I was seven probably helped. I hadn't liked heights even then, but by the combined taunting of Lugh and Rei, they had managed to get me to climb onto the roof of the orphanage so that I could retrieve the ball that we had accidentally kicked up there. As I retrieved the ball, I had hovered over the edge of the roof, gloating over my conquering of the dreaded heights. And then, as if to remind me that humans were not meant to be above the ground, one of the shingles of the roof slid loose. I lost my footing, fell off and landed badly on the ground. Father, upon hearing the loud crash and a cry of pain ran out to see what had happened. It turned out that in the fall, I had broken my leg. I spent ten miserable weeks in a cast. Since then, I had swore to never to get higher than, say, five feet off the ground.

And now Lord Roy was asking me to climb what I estimated to be a fifty foot wall.

I wanted to tell him exactly what I thought of his idea, which would have involved at least five swear words and would have made the late Lord Hector blush. But to say such thing would have been rude, and Roy would have probably cut my daily rations in half, so instead I said: 'No, Lord Roy, I don't think I can climb that wall.'

Lord Roy opened his mouth to say something, but paused when he was cut out by a grinding noise. We turned to look at the portcullis, which was slowly rising. We moved over to in front of it, then once it had risen fully we moved under. A purple haired man was standing beside the crank that controlled the portcullis, a slightly cocky expression on his face.

'General Roy of the Lycia Alliance Army, I presume?' He asked

'Who are you?' Lord Roy responded. 'An enemy?'

'Good heavens, no. I'm on your side.' He bowed, wobbling slightly. 'Greetings. My name is Asthor. I used to work here in the service of Lord Hector.' He indicated to the castle behind him. I thought that he looked a little odd. His eyes had a yellow tinge to them, and his movements were a little unsteady, as if is was drunk, but not drunk enough to loose all coherent thought.

'Excuse me,' I turned to see Merlinus approaching, an indignant expression on his face. 'But what kind of work were you doing? You certainly don't look like one of Ostia's servants.'

'My, my, aren't we a little rude, old man?' The purple-haired man waggled his finger at Merlinus, who reddened angrily. 'Well, I understand what you're thinking. See, I'm a spy. I go on secret information to gather information, steal things, check on people-'

'I know what a spy is!' Merlinus yelled angrily. I knew that he didn't like to be patronized, and this man was determined to do exactly that.

'Hmph, well, so much for a warm greeting for helping you out.' Asthor folded his arms and swayed a bit. 'But if people can tell that I'm working for a noble just by looking at me, then I'm not much of a spy then, am I?'

Defeated, Merlinus went back to his wagon, grumbling unhappily. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Lugh trying his hardest not to laugh at the sulking Merlinus.

'Anyway,' The spy continued, turning to face Lord Roy. 'For a month now I've been running around Lycia to gather the latest news. When I heard about Lord Hector's death in Araphen, I returned here as quickly as I could. Then I see those idiots Leygance and Devias have caused a rebellion!' He shook his head.

'Leygance was in on this too?' I turned to see Bors stepping forward, anger evident on his face.

'He was the one who orchestrated it.' Asthor responded, then he sighed. 'I wish to join with you, Lord Roy. I wasn't able to get to Araphen in time to save Lord Hector, and I don't want to be too late to save Lady Lilina.'

'Lilina...' Lord Roy said worriedly. Was there something going on between the two nobles? It certainly sounded like it to me. 'You're welcome to join us. Do you know what's happened to Lilina?' Lord Roy continued.

'Of course.' Asthor said a little cockily. 'Investigating into these matters is my job. Lady Lilina is locked in a small room near the center of the castle. And that bastard Leygance is probably sitting on the throne like he owns the place.' He snorted disdainfully.

'We have to hurry then' Roy said, drawing his longsword from his sheath. He then turned to look at us. 'To arms once more!' He called out. 'We have to defeat the remaining rebels and rescue Lady Lilina!'

With that, he turned around and slowly stormed off to the castle, the rest of the army following behind him. I trotted next to Lugh, who nodded at me, his grip tightening on his spellbook. I turned and looked at the castle ahead of us. It looked tall and imposing, not at all like the warm and opening castle I had imagined it to be. I swallowed nervously, adjusted the grip on my dagger, and continued into the legendary impregnable Castle Ostia.

* * *

Mreh, This chapter was really hard to write. Since a lot was happening around Chad, it seemed in parts that it was in 3rd person. But I can't think of any way to change it, so you'll have to live with it. 

**SHAMELESS ADVERTISING**

For those who don't know Urei Sachi had written a introspective Lugh and Rei fic based on Saga of the Discarded, called "Relative Truth". It is very good, and I highly recommend it to anyone who's reading this. GO AND READ IT NOW! (Hypnosis beams coming out of the computer and forcing you to go and read the fic.)

**Chapter 8: The Ostian Rebellion (Part Two)** (Still Chad's POV)

R&R Please!


	8. The Ostian Rebellion Part 2

THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN POSTED UP SOONER IF IT WASN'T FOR MY FUCKING COMPUTER! (Glares hatefully at the white piece crap tat sits at the corner of the Computer desk.) Not only is this bloody thing running slower than usual, but for a number of weeks it wouldn't let me even remotely near the Internet! Whilst I (obviously) was able to get back on, it still has a number of problems. It screws up the lighting effects of a number of 3D games, every so-often it'll freeze, the screen occasionally flashes black AND it won't let me log on to Guild Wars! DAMN THIS INFERNAL PIECE OF SCRAP METAL! YOU ARE NOT EVEN WORTHY ENOUGH TO TOAST BREAD!

Ahem... Sorry about that. Anyway, in three days time my school holidays will end. Which is crap because I'm not done having fun. Although what I have done was worth it. All I have to say is that live comedy shows are way better than movies or sitcoms. Two weeks ago, I took my older brother to see Paul McDermott in GUD (Anybody know him?), and we had SECOND ROW SEATS! Within the first five minutes of the show, the second row was professionally insulted, it was GREAT! So, when you get the chance, instead of going to the movies or slumping down in front of the TV, check what's on at the local theater. It's more expensive, but way worth it.

_Rant of the Chapter:_ Over this past month, there has been one single bane to my existence. One creature so fowl, that it makes my crappy computer seem like the most perfect machine ever made. What is this baleful abomination, you ask? Two words: Crazy, Frog. Please, would somebody tell me what is so great about that... That... I can't even think of a vile enough word to describe it! It is the most shitty thing ever produced! AND THEY'VE MADE IT INTO A FUCKING SONG! WHY? FOR GOD'S SAKE **WHY**? IT IS THE MOST ANNOYING PIECE OF SHIT EVER PRODUCED! DIE, CRAZY FROG DIE! (Pulls out a tactical thermonuclear device and shoots it at the Crazy Frog)

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Okay, I'm better now.

**Lack Thereof:** Asthor rocks. He's just so much fun to write about. You can do practically anything with him. He can become either a depressed man resorting to alcohol to solve his problems, or he can just be a drunken thief ready to mock the hell out of anyone he encounters.

**Sara Jaye:** Bors isn't bad. In the game, I usually stop using him around the middle, simply because I've got a lot of better characters. But still, it seemed right to have him in a main role in the last chapter. Thanks for the review.

**GunpowderWizard and co.:** (Smiles sheepishly and scratches back of neck) Well, I'm glad that you guys all like it. In all honesty, I don't mean for this fic to be so sad. I wanted it to be a realistic account of the war and what happened to Lugh, Chad and Rei. Of course, so much sad things happen to them, so it sort of mutates into this. Oh well.

**misSkLutzZz:** Welcome new reviewer! (Bells and whistles) So glad you like it, hope you continue reading. There are so few Fuuin no Tsurugi Fics out there, and any support I get for this one will encourage me to continue it.

**angelfish:** Well, I would have updated sooner if it wasn't for this piece of crap (Glares accusingly at the computer). But, I hope that this chapter makes up for the wait.

A Brief Warning: There is a particularly violent scene which describes one of the characters becoming covered in internal organs. If you're a bit squeamish about that sort of thing, you might want to skip the first bit of the third scene.

**Disclaimer:** I own a little golden axe pendant, which I call Wolfbeil in order to commemorate Lord Hector. I have a Dungeons and Dragons game set in the FE universe. I have plans to name my first born child after one of the Fire Emblem characters. And yet, despite my rabid fangirl addiction, I do not own Fire Emblem. Are you happy now, you bastards? (Grumbles unhappily)

* * *

**The Saga of the Discarded **

A Fire Emblem fanfic by Kiri-Ryu

**Chapter Eight: The Ostian Rebellion (Part Two)**

**Chad **

Castle Ostia was equally impressive on the inside than it was on the outside. When I entered the castle, I was overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the place. It was if I was in this huge labyrinth, with rich red carpets splayed along the floors and landscape paintings placed on the wall. I had only the briefest of moments to contemplate the magnificence of the place before I was reminded why I was there. The guards, surprised that we had infiltrated the castle, yelped and armed themselves. I drew my weapon, as did the rest of the army around me.

'Surrender!' Lord Roy called out. 'If you do then we won't kill you!'

'For Lord Leygance!' One of the men called out, and the rest charged at us. One of them targeted me. He thrust his spear forward at a surprising speed. I had moved aside, but the spear tip had cut into my arm. I grimaced, then counter attacked, thrusting my dagger at him. It pierced his shoulder, and he growled in pain. He was about to strike at me again when he suddenly froze. He coughed up blood, which landed on me, then fell over. I looked up to see Rutger, his katana dripping with blood. He nodded to me, then moved off to another opponent. I watched him go, then I bent and picked up my dagger from the dead soldier's shoulder. I looked around for someone to help.

But the battle was nearly over, the last few enemies keeling over as weapons pierced their bodies and spilled their vital fluids over the ground. Our leader sheathed his sword then looked around. He looked at us each in turn, then cleared his throat.

'We're going to divide into two teams' Lord Roy told us. 'I want the two thieves on different teams, since this place is undoubtedly locked up. Since both Asthor and Bors are from Ostia, I want you on different teams as well. That way each team will have a guide around the castle.'

And with that, we were divided up into two equal teams. I was on the first team, which consisted of Lord Roy, Lance, Bors, Dieck, Rutger Wade, Lugh, Clarine, Wolt and Zealot. Our main task was to find out were they were keeping Lady Lilina captive and to free her.

I swallowed nervously. This would be the biggest mission I had since I joined this army. So much trust was placed in my ability to be able to pick the lock that bound the doors of the castle. I couldn't let everyone down. I couldn't...

* * *

Another battle erupted in the hallway, even bloodier than the ones before it. I ran forward, dodged the incoming spear thrust and plunged my dagger deep into the man's chest. He burbled, blood frothing from his mouth, and he collapsed, my dagger beneath him. Without a weapon I was a sitting duck, and I would be prone while I retrieved my dagger. So I quickly wove my way past the fighting, keeping to the shadows and trying not to be noticed. But all my sneaking was for naught, for just as soon as I had cleared the fight I was noticed by an enemy knight. He lowered his spear and charged me. I ducked, but the tip punctured into my arm, the same one that had been injured earlier. I grimaced at the pain and held my arm, trying to stem the flow of blood.

The armour knight raised his spear once again. As he thrust, I twisted out the way, the spear catching in my cloak. In a surge of brilliance, I used my one good arm to catch hold of the cloak, then pulled it as hard as I could. The knight, caught by surprise, let the spear slip out of his hands. I quickly picked up the weapon, then I found myself completely lost. I had no idea how to use a spear. Just point and thrust, I guessed. I aimed the weapon at the armour knight, who probably found the image of a scrawny, thin boy using his own spear against him quite humorous. I was about to strike, when an idea hit me. I gripped the spear close to the tip. The unbalanced weight would be cumbersome, but it was the best chance I had. I ran towards my opponent, dodging his grasping arms. I half jumped, and with a tremendous amount of force I thrust the spear tip into my opponent's neck. There was a pause, then the man burbled. Blood formed around the spear shaft and it flowed down the man's armour. I watched for a moment, before taking a deep shuddering breath and forcing my fingers to unwrap themselves from the shaft. I jumped as I heard the sound of clapping. I turned around to see a girl, just a bit older than myself, smiling with a quirked eyebrow. She had orange-brown hair and brown eyes. Her hair was tied into a semi-braid and she wore a white loose-fitting dress with a green front and green gloves. She had an aqua coloured scarf wrapped around her neck. I recognised her as the girl who had helped us out at Castle Toria, warning us about Wagner's betrayal.

'You could have just asked me for a dagger.' She said with a grin. 'But I have to admit that your way was much more impressive.'

'I would have gladly accepted the dagger had I known you were here.' I respond icily. I could have been killed! And she had just sat back and watched me, not even bothering to lend me a hand.

'You had it covered.' She threw her arms above her head. 'And if you were in a position to be killed, then I would have stepped in to help. But you didn't need me, did you?'

'Well...' I had to admit, she did have a point.

'You know, you aren't half bad. You have talent' She winked at me.

'And who are you to say that?' I folded my arms and looked her in the eyes.

'... You don't know me?' She feigned shock, her hands fluttering to her chest and her eyes wide. 'Why, I'm Cass, master thief!' She posed.

'... Who?' Her dramatic introduction brushed right past me. She glared angrily at me and opened her mouth to say something.

'It's you!' Both of us jumped. I looked over my shoulder to see Lord Roy approaching us. The enemy forced had been decimated, and the wounds of the injured were being bandaged. I suddenly winced as pain flared up from my forgotten injury. My shirt was damp with the blood from my arm.

'Crap...' Cass looked around for an exit point. 'Er... What a coincidence! Hahaha...'

'... If you're in the battlefield just to steal, you shouldn't be here. It's not right.' Lord Roy scolded her. I listed to their conversation for a while longer, before moving off to get my arm healed. Clarine scolded me for being so reckless, then pressed her Heal staff to the wound. A light blue light covered my body, and the pain eased. The light subsided and I lifted my arm. There was only a small scab there now. I sighed with relief and I thanked Clarine. She nodded then turned to the next injured person.

'Chad!' Lugh called to me. I moved over to him.

'Yeah?' I asked.

'I saw you fighting that knight.' He said. 'That was great! How you just twisted and jerked the spear out of his hands, then used it against him!' He grinned wildly.

'I didn't plan it or anything. It was just spontaneous.'

'It was still a good blow.' We turned to look at Dieck. 'It's quick thinking like that that will keep you alive in future battles.'

'In all honesty,' I said to the swordsman. 'I'd rather have slow reflexes and out of this war than to have quick ones and be forced to kill again.'

'That's understandable.' He nodded. 'No war is better than any war. But we're in one now, and we can't spend time thinking about what would have happened to us if we weren't in it. Better to fight than to daydream and get stabbed in the back.'

I nodded to his words, as did Lugh beside me.

'You had better go get your dagger Chad. You may be needing it soon.' Dieck told me soberly, then he moved of to another part of the army. St Emiline! I had forgotten all about my dagger. I moved over to the dead corpse and rolled it over. After a brief struggle, the flesh relinquished it's hold in my weapon and I staggered back a few paces. I cleaned the blood off my blade on the soldier's shirt then I sheathed it.

Lord Roy moved back towards us, there was no sign of the thief. He took his water skin off his belt and took a drink, then called out to us.

'Let's go.' He said, his voice troubled. What had happened between him and Cass, I wondered. We moved on, ever watchful for the next attack.

* * *

We had encountered a number of soldiers, and after a few minutes of furious battle they had fallen before our blades. Our pace had steadily increased as our searches for Lilina became more frantic. Eventually, we encountered a strange sight. An archer was aiming his bow directly into a wall. I was confused for a bit, until I saw that he aimed through an arrow slit, craftily concealed so that those who did not know what to look for wouldn't see it.

'Lord Roy!' I called out to our leader, alerting him to the arrow slit. He swore heavily, then charged forward. The archer turned to see Lord Roy charging towards him, and aimed his bow. Lord Roy fell into a roll as the archer loosened the bow string, and the arrow clattered harmlessly against a stone wall. Lord Roy thrust his sword upwards as he came out of his roll, the blade of his longsword piercing the belly of the archer. With an enraged roar, he tore his sword upwards, splitting open the man's entire front.

Gore and internal organs spilled out onto our lord, covering him from head to toe. I was nauseated by the sight, and at least three people behind me were retching. Lord Roy stood up shakily, disturbed at what he had just done. Slowly, he moved over to one of the packs we had been carrying with us. He took out a spare shirt and used it to free himself of the entrails that had covered him. He took a deep breath, then turned around, somehow looking lordly even though he was a mess.

'Open that door now!' He commanded. I scrabbled to his orders. My fingers fumbled with the latch that I had attached my thieves tools to. After what seemed to be an eternity, I finally got them off. I set the lock-picks into the door and began to work. It was slow, my fingers slowly moving as they tried to find the locking mechanism.

'Can't you hurry up with that?' Roy snapped. I could hear the fear and apprehension in his voice.

'I'm going as fast as I can.' I told him. I understood that he was worried, but I could not work any faster unless he wanted me to make amateur mistakes.

He paced behind me for a while, occasionally stopping to look over my shoulder. Eventually, there was the quiet click of the lock sliding away.

'Good work Chad!' Lord Roy praised me, his face beaming. I stepped aside and let him pass.

The door creaked open, and I had my first glimpse at Lady Lilina. She resembled her father in many ways. Her hair was the same shade of blue as were her eyes. Her hair was long, and was kept out of her eyes by a red hair band. She wore a white dress, over which was a sleeveless red shirt. She was sitting on the corner of a bed, her eyes wide with surprise. Her right hand was clutched to her left shoulder, where there was a large red stain. A bloodied arrow lay on the ground next to her.

'Lilina!' Lord Roy moved over to her, a mixture of relief and horror on his face. I too entered the room, moving to one corner and watching the events silently.

'Are you all right?' Lord Roy asked (which was a fairly stupid question I thought).

'Roy...' Lord Hector's daughter said, looking at the blood-spattered noble. 'Is it really you?' She reached a hand to touch his face, as if to see if he was real.

'Of course' Lord Roy smiled, then turned to the door. 'Clarine!' He called out to the Troubadour. 'We need you here!'

'What about you? You're covered in blood.' Lilina looked worriedly at Lord Roy.

'None of which is my own.' He reassured her. Clarine entered at that moment, her heal staff clutched in her hands. I watched as the blue light washed over Lilina's arm and the wound closed. Lilina thanked Clarine and stood up looking at each of the army in turn. I stiffened as her gaze turned to me. She paused, looking at me in confusion, then she shook her head and murmured something. Why is it that a lot of people do that when they first see me? Roy introduced Lilina to everyone, then asked Lugh if he had a spare spellbook.

'Oh!' My childhood friend said in surprise. 'Are you a mage as well, miss Lilina?'

'Well, I was taught the basics by General Cecilia, the Mage General of Etruria.' She admitted. 'But I'm mostly self taught.'

'Well, I think I've got something spare...' Lugh moved over to the saddle bags and sorted through them. He picked up a yellow covered tome, a lightning design imprinted on the cover. He smiled and gave it over to Lady Lilina.

'Thank you.' She said.

'No problem, miss Lilina!' He grinned, the walked over to the corner to join me in the corner.

'Right,' Lord Roy took a deep breath and turned to face us. 'We've rescued Lady Lilina, all we've left to do is to recapture the castle.'

'Is it just me,' Lugh whispered to me as we left the room. 'Or is Lord Roy a lot less fretful?'

'I think the safety of Lady Lilina has something to do with it.' I replied. I turned and looked at our lord, who did seem much more relaxed. Well, it was better than him stomping around, snapping at us occasionally.

We organised ourselves, and we once again set off. We were to rendezvous with the other group, then head for the throne room. There, we would encounter Leygance, the man who orchestrated this rebellion. I doubt that Leygance would survive the encounter.

* * *

We encountered the rest of the army after about 15 minutes of searching the corridors. They had managed to find three extra people to join our cause, two Armour Knights and a swordsman. One of the knights turned out to be the sister of Bors: he was rather surprised that she had decided to join the army. After the reunion we headed to the throne room, it was there that the final confrontation for Ostia would occur.

Asthor and myself scouted ahead, slinking in the shadows and hugging the walls. For someone who seemed to be permanently drunk, he moved silently and he clung to the shadows. We weaved our way around the castle, until we reached the throne room. Leygance was there, sitting nervously on the throne, eyes darting, looking for hidden enemies. I smelled Asthor before I saw him.

'Fifteen knights, plus Leygance.' He whispered to me.

'There are twelve.' I corrected him.

'You sure?' He turned to the room once again and squinted his eyes. 'Right, now I've got eleven. You sure that there's twelve?'

'A few minutes ago you said there was fifteen!' I growled at him.

'Oh yeah...' He blinked. 'So... You willing to settle for eleven?'

'But there's twelve!' I rolled my eyes. St Emiline, save me. The only other decent sneak in the army is a drunkard and possibly an idiot.

'Well, I'll have to fix that then.' To my eyes, he melded into the shadows. I blinked, then watched a guard leaning against a pillar suddenly jerk upright. He then slumped unnaturally held up only by his staff. Asthor appeared a few moments later.

'Eleven, I believe.' He grinned cockily at me, swaying slightly. He then moved of back towards the army, flicking through the shadows. I blinked, the slowly followed after him. Was he really drunk? He seemed that way most of the time, but occasionally, such as back then, he did something so unexpected that it just shook the way that I saw him. Could he just be pretending his drunken state so that people would underestimate him? Was he truly that crafty?

Halfway down the passageway, Asthor paused. He then took a hip flask off his belt, then took a quick swig. Even though I was at least five feet away from him, I could still smell the incredibly strong alcohol. Well, at least that was that question answered.

'Want some?' He asked offering me the flask.

'I'm fifteen.' I told him.

'So?' He shrugged unsteadily. 'The world makes so much sense when seen through brownish-yellow-coloured glasses.' He grinned.

'Rose-coloured glasses.' I rolled my eyes as I corrected him.

'I know what I said, I was making a joke to lighten the mood! Jeez...' He took another swig.

'This is hardly the time or the place for jokes.'

'Beh, fine.' He placed the hip flask back onto his belt, then moved off. We encountered Lord Roy shortly after. We told him of the situation in the Throne room, and how the twel-eleven knights and Leygance were on alert, suspecting attack from every corner.

'Well then,' Lord Roy pondered, his face thoughtful. 'He's expecting a sneak attack, is he?'

'I believe so, Lord Roy.' I told him.

'Then we'll have to disappoint him and simply charge in.' He drew his sword with his still bloodstained hands.

'Charge in?' I blinked, had everyone gone mad?

'We easily have enough people to overpower eleven people' He reasoned. 'And they'll be too busy looking for is in the shadows to retaliate.'

The army spent a few seconds preparing for the battle ahead. Swords were unsheathed, shields were adjusted and the two mages flicked through their spellbooks. Once again, the dagger rested in my hand, it's edge glinting hungrily.

As Lord Roy had anticipated, they were not expecting a full on charge. We broke through what little defence they had easily. The last remaining rebels were slaughtered, only Leygance was left. He glared at us with defiant eyes, and he lowered his weapon, a spetum, and prepared to defend himself.

'Leygance!' I turned to see Lady Lilina walking steadily towards our advisory. A number of people readied their weapons in case Leygance decided to attack. I myself was too far away.

'Lady Lilina?' Leygance looked surprised, then he angrily spat on the ground. 'Damn, you were supposed to have been dead by now...'

'Why, Leygance?' She asked, her voice was both angry and sad.

'Times are changing, Milady.' Leygance smirked cockily. 'I'm just making sure I don't get left behind. I'm not like Lord Hector, who was too foolish to recognise change when it was staring him in the face!'

'Shut up!' Lilina roared in a fit of anger, so unlike what I'd seen of her. 'I will not allow you to insult my father any longer!'

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and the air became thick with static electricity. I looked around, and I saw that everyone else was feeling the same thing. A few of the heavily armoured knights winced as tiny bolts of static electricity zapped them. The entire room buzzed. I turned to look back at Lilina, and I saw her chanting out the words of the Thunder spell Lugh had given her before.

Leygance swore loudly and he moved forward to attack Lady Lilina. But before he could reach her, she released her spell. The bolt of Lightning almost blinded me, and little dots swam around in my vision. But Leygance was affected by the lightning a lot worse than I was. The bolt had arced down his silvered spetum and had then hit his armour. He would have screamed in agony had he had more than a second of life left.

Lady Lilina slumped down, exhausted by the large outburst of magic. The smoking husk of Leygance fell over, and the smell of scorched flesh wafted around the room. I sighed, it was over. People moved to help with clearing "Leygance", or what used to be him, out of the room.

Relief flooded the army, and finally weapons were lowered an sheathed. I let my dagger slide out of my grasp, and I heard it clatter on the floor. It was over. This bloodbath was over.

'We did it!' Lugh threw his arm around my bloodied shoulder and danced around a little bit. His enthusiasm rolled over into me, and I couldn't help but smile and celebrate with him. A few other members of the army joined us in our mad celebration, whilst many others just stood back and watched with smiles on their faces.

'Hate to break up your party,' We stopped and turned to face Sir Marcus. 'But we have to clear the castle of bodies.'

'Aw, come on!' Lugh pouted.

'We finally get a hold of the castle, and you go and ruin our excitement!' Clarine, who had been celebrating with us, stuck her lip out and glared grumpily at Sir Marcus.

'I'm so very sorry.' Sir Marcus said, a look of false pity on his face. 'I'll just leave you to your celebrating then. I'm sure you'd prefer to clean the bodies up in the morning, when they're stiff and smelling worse then the Aqulean sewer system when it's blocked up.'

Within five minutes, all of us had decided that cleaning out the castle would be a good idea. We were helped out by surviving servants and civilians, so it took no-longer than an hour. But even though it was gruesome work, we went about it lightheartedly. After all, we had just had our first great victory.

We went back into the newly cleaned castle. I had been talking with Lugh when I had overheard Lord Lilina speaking with Lord Roy.

'Thank you so much Roy.' She had said. 'I'm glad that you saved my father the trouble of doing this.'

The room went silent. I looked at Lady Lilina in both shock and pity. She honestly had no idea. St. Emiline, this would be hard for her...

'Is he still in Araphen?' She asked, ignoring the sudden silence. 'I heard that it was a tough battle there, but he shouldn't be much longer, should he?'

'Lilina...' I had never heard as much sorrow is someone's voice as there was in Lord Roy's. 'You haven't heard anything, have you?'

'What are you talking about? He is coming back soon, isn't he?' She looked so hopeful. And we were about to shatter her very reality.

'Lord Hector...' Lord Roy looked away, guilt and sorrow in his eyes. 'He's... Passed away'

Lilina's eyes went wide, and she took a step backwards. 'What?' She asked, pain flowing from her voice and wiping out all traces of our earlier joy.

'I'm sorry...' Lord Roy turned back to face her. 'When we arrived at Araphen it was already under Bern's control.'

'It's not your fault. You don't... have to apologize.' Tears appeared in the corner of her eyes and she lowered her gaze to the floor.

'Lord Hector was already fatally wounded when we arrived. If only we had gotten there faster... Then maybe we could have helped him.' Lord Roy's shoulders drooped and despair washed over his face. Between the two of them, there was enough sorrow and despair for the whole army. If I had been saddened at Father's death, it was nothing in comparison to what Lady Lilina must've been feeling.

'No... it's all right. You tried your best... Father prepared me for this... If he didn't return... I'm a warrior's daughter. I've been taught not to panic in times like these...'

Well, she wasn't panicking. On the verge of tears and hysterical denial, yes, but not panic.

'So, everyone should have told me.' Her voice filled with sorrow, and new tears spilled down her cheeks. 'They're too considerate...' She sobbed loudly.

'Lilina...' Lord Roy moved forward, his arms outstretched. 'You don't have to hold back those tears.'

Lady Lilina collapsed into an emotional wreck at that point, and fell crying into Lord Roy's arms. I turned around and left, not wanting to get in the way of them. All the joy that I had felt earlier had swept out. All I wanted now was a warm bath to wash away these bloodstained memories followed by a soft bed that was free of hellish nightmares.

* * *

Seven pages... I spoil you people. As usual, I think I could have done better, but you've been waiting for this for so long you deserve to have it now. Sometimes, it's hard to keep writing in 1st person perspective. But it's fun as all hell.

**Chapter 9: War Heroes **(Lugh's POV)

R&R please!

And remember, whales are just like Frog's Legs that live in the ocean. (Paul McDermott is a GOD)


	9. War Heroes

It has been over two months since Kiri-Ryu has updated, and the characters of Fire Emblem six were bored out of their skulls. Two months is a long time to be bored, and you can only watch comedy shows for so long before they stop being funny.

Well, almost all comedy shows…

_(On the TV)_

**Fran: Bernard, they're building next door for two weeks! There's a sign, it's outside. We can't stay here!  
Bernard: Relax! I'll sort them out later.  
Manny: What are you going to do?  
Fran: What can you do?  
Bernard: I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll write a letter to the council.  
Fran: Well what are you going to say?  
Bernard: I'll say "Dear Council, please don't build beside us for the next two weeks".  
Manny: Yeah but what if that doesn't work?  
Fran: Yeah, yeah, what are you going to do if that doesn't work?  
Bernard: You want to know what I'll do?  
Manny: Yeah.  
Bernard: I will... drink heavily and shout at you! **

Roy- No matter how many times I have to watch Black Books, I never get tired of it.

Chad- Speak for yourself. I can quote the entire first and second series word for word.

Lilina- Well, would you rather we put on the Young Ones back on again?

Chad- (Shaking head, eyes wide in horror) No…. No more…

Hugh- (In the background) Hey pipe down! I can't hear the computer!

Roy- (Shouting back) You're only playing the Sims! You Don't need to hear them speak!

Hugh- (Grumbles, then returns to playing the Sims)

Suddenly, just as is seems that our heroes are about to be consumed by their boredom, Kiri-Ryu and her Kobold muse, Ezzie, return.

Kiri- … My god, I leave for two months and this is what happens!

Roy- (Turns around as gasps in surprise) By St. Emiline! She's here!

All- (Collective gasp)

Kiri- … Nice to know that you care about me. (Sniff) Now, where's that tissue box?

Rei- Don't tell me that that cold is what's kept you away from writing?

Kiri- No, this is only recent. I've been focusing on my schoolwork and crap.

All- (Silence)

Chad- There is no way that you would stop writing just because of school.

Kiri- All-right! I admit! I also finished the Golden Sun series, Tales of Symphonia and have started playing at least four new Dungeons and Dragons games. So what?

Marcus- You had that much free time, and you chose to forsake us.

Lugh- (Teary Eyed) Don't you love us any more?

Kiri- Awwww… Isn't he adorable? Of course I love you Lugh, It's just that I love Tales of Symphonia as well. Kratos rocks. Anyway, don't mind my rambling. Everyone! Get back to the set! We have a Fanfic to write!

Everyone- Yes Ma'm!

Kiri- … That includes you too Hugh.

Hugh- Aw, come on! I'm not even in the story yet! LET ME BUY THAT SOFA!

Kiri- (Throws Hugh off her computer) No more Sims for you.

…

Kiri- Anyway… (Turns to the readers) Hi! I'm back. As mentioned before, I was busy with school, work, Tales of Symphonia and D&D. But, armed with a new MP3 player, a whole slew of new Anime songs and an entire plate full of Lamingtons, I'm here to once again write Saga of the Discarded. Alas, I can't respond to any reviews, since I'm not sure if that stupid ban has been removed yet, but know that I do read every one you send. And if you don't send me any more, I'll be upset and not post up the next chapter 'till next year! I WANT REVIEWS!

But anyway, It's good to be back, I hope that I'll be able to post up the next chapter much sooner than this one.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Fire Emblem. But, as soon as I learn how to open a portal into the world of games and drag Roy and the others into this word, we will storm Japan and take all we want! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

* * *

**The Saga of the Discarded **

A Fire Emblem fanfic by Kiri-Ryu

**Chapter Nine: War Heroes**

**Lugh**

I awoke in the midmorning. For a while, I though that I was back at the orphanage, and that any moment Father would walk in and greet me with a smile. But I blinked away the false reality and saw instead the cold, indifferent walls of Castle Ostia. I sighed and slowly rose, rubbing my eyes free of sleep. I looked around the room, before seeing the clean clothes that the servants had laid out on the bed for me. It looked to be a size too big for me, but on the plus side it wasn't covered in someone else's blood. I got changed and headed downstairs for some breakfast.

I climbed down the stairs and entered the dining hall. People crowded the tables: nobles, warriors and peasants alike. I looked around, searching for Chad. I found him sitting next to an old man whose hair was grey with age. They seemed to be chatting comfortably. I moved over to the serving table, picked up a plate and piled up this morning's breakfast on it. I then walked over to sit with Chad and the old man.

Chad, upon seeing me, offered a seat next to him. His eyes had dark rims around them, and his movement were sluggish. Hadn't slept well then. Well, I knew the feeling.

'Morning.' I said happily but not cheerily. I set my plate down on the table and glanced in the direction of the old man. He was wearing loose-fitting clothing, and his greyed hair was cropped short. His body was well muscled, especially for a man of his age. His eyes were light brown, and the wisdom of an age of living flowed from them. As he saw me he smiled.

'Ah, you must be Lugh.' He said.

'Mm hm.' I grinned at him. 'And you?'

'Just an old, retired knight, shocked by the betrayals in this household.' He sighed regretfully. 'I'd hate to think what Lord Hector would have done with Leygance had he been alive to deal with him. Or Lord Uther for that matter!' He chuckled.

'Lord Uther?' I looked at him questioningly.

'Lord Hector's older brother. He died over twenty years ago.' He shook his head.

I tried to imagine Hector having an older brother, but the image couldn't form in my mind. He had seemed to be the sort that **was** the older brother... Or a father. I instantly thought of poor Lilina. It was hard to lose a parent, and I lost three. But I hardly knew my real parents, and the hurt of loosing Father had healed already. I looked up and searched around for her, but I saw no signs of her. Or of Roy for that matter.

'Hey, where's Lord Roy and Lady Lilina?' I asked Chad. There was a momentary silence as Chad swallowed the contents in his mouth.

'They, along with a number of soldiers, have gone to retrieve something. An ancient sword of some type.' He finally responded to my question.

'Durandal.' The old knight said. 'They seek out Durandal to help them against Bern.' His face, which had been humorous before, had set into a frown.

'What's the matter sir?' I asked him.

'... Nothing.' The knight shook his head. 'I'm just sick of all these wars. I've been in enough as it is already. Sometimes, I wonder how Marcus can keep up with it all.' He snorted, and then smiled again. 'And the next generation comes and draws the weapons of the old.'

'What do you mean by that?' I asked him. He was such a strange man and he tweaked my sense of curiosity.

'When I look up and see this army,' He said, his voice taking on an old and cracked tone. 'I see the faces of many of my former comrades in arms. Eliwood, Hector, Pent and Louise. Nino.' He looked at me then. 'It's almost uncanny.'

I opened my mouth to respond to him, but a startled yell of surprise interrupted me. I swivelled my head around to look where the sound came from.

A servant was running down the stairs, arms flailing and a look of pure shock on his face. He stopped before the table, then placed his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

'Wyverns!' He finally called out. 'Bern is attacking!'

'What!' The old knight I had been talking with stood up. He stormed towards the servant, demanding details. I looked over towards Chad, then we both stood up. We ran towards the courtyard, weaving our way through the maze of corridors. When we finally reached the courtyard, we looked up and surveyed the sky.

They were but small silhouettes in the morning sky, but I was able to instantly recognise the shape. A flight of about twelve in total, and all heading in our direction. They almost looked beautiful, but then one remembered that they were coming to kill us.

I turned and ran back inside, Chad was close behind me. When we reached the dinner hall, we saw that pandemonium had erupted. People were arguing about what to do. "Go get Lord Roy!" Said some. "We have to surrender!" Said others. A number of us were trying to calm the others down so that we could gather a plan, but people were too afraid to listen to reason.

A loud crunch interrupted the noise. It sounded an awful lot like a large creature landing on the roof. A number of people, myself included, ran towards the roof. Behind me, Chad elected to stay behind. Seems like he still has that fear of heights. We reached to top of the stairs, and what we found there was not comforting.

I had never seen a Wyvern up close before, and I had to admit they are magnificent creatures. They closely resembled the dragons that I had read about in fairy tales, but I knew there were a few differences. It's great, reptilian head stared directly at us, and it hissed menacingly. I saw teeth as long as my hand resting in its mouth. Suddenly, seeing a wyvern up close seemed not to be such a good idea. The beast's rider aimed his lance towards us.

'Surrender!' He yelled.

'Ostia shall never hand itself over to Bern scum!'

We turned to face the old knight. Although he was unarmed and un-armoured, he stood defiantly at the door. Inspired by his courage, I too stood in-front of the door. It seemed as if the very gates of hell could assault Ostia, and we would withstand it.

The wyvern roared, and its tail lashed behind it. I caught a good look at the incredibly sharp teeth that lined its mouth, and suddenly this seemed not to be that much of a good idea. The wyvern's sharp talons dug deep furrows into the castle's stonework. It walked slowly towards us, until its snout was barely inches from my own. It snorted.

'Do you think you honestly stand a chance?' The rider asked us, a smirk on his face. 'I have twelve wyverns circling the city as we speak. One signal from me and, well, I can't guarantee the safety of the civilians.'

'You would involve civilians in this war!' The old knight was outraged. 'When did Bern loose its honour!'

We had no choice. We couldn't involve innocents in this dispute.

'Hold it!'

All of us turned to see Lord Roy running in the courtyard, with Lady Lilina and the rest of the group behind him. Since we were on tip of the castle, I couldn't make out the details, but it seemed as if Roy was carrying an incredibly large sword.

The wyvern's head swivelled around, and it roared in our lord's direction. It spread its wings, and we were blown back by the back-draft of its wings. It drifted in the sky, before settling before our lord. Being on the top of the castle, I couldn't make out what was being said. I was about to move back down the stairs when the old knight gripped my shoulder tightly. He shook his head, telling me to just watch what happens from here. I turned and watched.

More wyverns landed before Lord Roy, behind their commander. But despite this, Lord Roy seemed to be quite calm. The rider pointed his lance towards Lord Roy, but he did not cower or become intimidated. The wyvern rider seemed to become agitated at this, and he raised his lance as if to strike Lord Roy.

The sound of a horn bellowing sounded from the west, and we all turned towards the noise. A small army was approaching. I could not see any banners, so I wasn't able to make out who they were. I hoped that it wasn't reinforcements for Bern. As they approached, I saw that they were lead by a woman wearing elaborately decorated full plate. She had long, greenish hair and rode forward on a white horse. Behind her was a troop of at least fifty men. The Wyvern's turned, and the largest of them lifted itself off the ground, flying toward the group. The green-haired woman raised her arm, and I was temporarily blinded as a large bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, striking the Wyvern. I rubbed my eyes, trying to get the spots away from my vision. But I was soon covering my ears as the Wyvern let out an ear-splitting scream. For a few moments after that, I was oblivious to the happenings of the world. I could barely see and my ears were ringing.

After a while, my vision cleared, I saw that the Wyverns were retreating, one flying with a slight limp. Beside me, the old Knight said something.

'What did you say?' I turned and asked him, wishing that my ears weren't ringing so badly.

'I said,' He responded, just loud enough so that I could hear him over the ringing. 'That we should go down stairs and meet up with Lord Roy.'

'I think that would be a good idea' I responded, glad that the emergency was over. I moved down the stairs, to see what news our Lord had to bring us.

* * *

My hearing eventually got better, much to my relief. The green-haired woman had turned out to be the Lady Cecilia, the Mage-General of Etruria. After hearing a snippet of conversation, I also learned that she was Lord Roy's tutor whilst he was studying her a few years ago. That she had arrived at the time that she did was pure luck. Any later and there probably wouldn't be a city surrounding us. 

We stayed in Ostia for another few days, helping the survivors get back on their feet and making sure that there were no more traitors lurking around the shadows. But Lord Roy needed to get back home to Pherae, to tell his father what had happened. They said something about organising a meeting of the Lycia alliance or something like that, but I wasn't really interested about that.

The old knight waved us goodbye as we left. Surprisingly, Lady Lilina had left him in charge of the castle whilst she was out on diplomatic business. That surprised me a little. Whoever the knight was, he was obviously an important and trusted figure.

We travelled for weeks. Unlike our ride to Ostia, there was a relaxed atmosphere around the camp. I enjoyed myself thoroughly, although half way through the journey Chad and I were punished because we accidentally splashed a bucket of cold water on Lord Roy. It wasn't our fault, honestly! We were aiming for Asthor. We had to wash the dishes for an entire week after that. But despite these small setbacks, we generally had a good journey. Everyone was in high spirits about our victory at Bern, and everything was looking up for us.

* * *

We arrived in Pherae two weeks and three days after we set off. The city was what I had imagined Ostia to be: lively and full of happiness. Children ran down the streets, laughing joyously while adults watched them, remembering their own youth. Brightly coloured merchant stalls lined the streets, and their owners waved their wares at us, trying to coax us into purchasing something. I was filled with the brightness of the place, as was everyone else in the Army. Lord Roy especially seemed to relax. But then again, he was coming home. I wonder what it's like, the feeling you get when you return home from a long journey. Well, that's something I'll never get to experience. All that's left of my home is an old, run down building. Without Father or the children, that's all it ever was. 

I snapped out of my sorrowful interlude as we approached the castle gates. Bright banners featuring the insignia of Pherae snapped in the wind. People stopped what they were doing to come and look and marvel at us, the triumphant army that took back Ostia from Bern. I could not help but smile widely, I felt like a war hero. Beside me, Chad was also strutting, trying to look as noble and heroic as possible.

'You look like a rutting pigeon.' I told him with a grin.

'And you like a strangled chicken.' He responded to me, his chest deflating slightly.

We entered the castle to be cheerfully greeted by servants. They moved up to us and fussed over the state of our clothes and other such trivial things. We were about to be shown to our rooms when a large booming noise echoed through the halls. I paused, suddenly on edge. A fire spell wormed its way into my memory, ready to be cast in an instant. I heard the sound of claws scraping on floor and deep, heavy breathing. Suddenly, a huge, grey haired beast ran through the hallway and leapt upon Lord Roy. I was about to unleash fiery doom upon the thing when I had a closer look. What I had though to be a large, grey monster was instead a great big hunting dog with shaggy grey fur. Its tail swung from side to side as it proceeded to erase Lord Roy's face with its tongue. I looked around to see that I wasn't the only one that had been ready to attack the "Monster". Several people sheathed their weapons, then helped to drag the overly friendly dog off the heir of Pherae.

I turned to look at Chad, then suddenly we both burst into laughter. It just seemed so stupid. The man who has stood up to the Bern army and won had been felled by a simple dog. It felt good, just to be able to laugh after all that had happened, that we could be silly and enjoy ourselves. A number of people joined in out merriment, and it healed us like no priest of Emiline could.

Shortly after, we were escorted to our separate rooms. Mine had a study desk, crammed full of books, and a lage bed with a feather pillow. It was a comfortable looking room, but I had the desire to explore around the castle. I unpacked, putting my things in their temporary homes, and set off to look around the castle. Although not as big as castle Ostia, castle Pherae had a more homely feel to it. Also, there were no bloodstains, and the feeling of death did not loom over me, threatening to devour me into the depths of sorrow.

I shook my head, clearing my mind of those dark thought. Now was not the time to lament over the past. I continued down the corridors, smiling and greeting everyone I came across. The walls were decorated with various paintings, of former Marquesses and Marchionesses, battle scenes and landscapes. Vases filled with brightly coloured flowers were placed around also, and their sweet fragrances wafted through my senses. I was considering heading to the kitchen to grab something to eat, aside form dry military rations that is, when a painting caught my eye.

It was much larger than any other that I had seen in the castle; this one almost took up a wall by itself. On it was painted a daytime scene that instantly grabbed my attention. In the background was an old, crumbling ruin, being slowly taken over by moss and vines. Grasses grew wild around, and half-destroyed statues guarded what may have been an entrance. In the foreground there was a large tree, and underneath its outstretched branches were two people, obviously a couple. In the light, they were barely more than silhouettes, but they somehow seemed to exude emotion. The man leaned his back on the tree, his arms enfolded around the woman, both looking upwards into the sky above the far away ruins. In that sky was what caught my eye. Two great, winged dragons circled around. Every single scale has seemed to be painted on them, and they shimmered a brilliant silver-blue colour. Their large, membranous wings were outstretched and painted silvery green. Their red eyes seemed to stare into my own, asking me "Who do you think you are, to gaze upon our magnificence?"

I do not know how long I stood there, staring at the magnificent painting. I could not seem to drag my eyes away from its brilliance. I was eventually disturbed by a voice behind me.

'It's good isn't it?' The man behind me asked.

'I have never seen such a magnificent painting.' I responded, continuing to stare up at the left-most dragon's red eyes.

'I have to admit, the artist did fuddle up the dragons. He painted them how he thought they would look like, not what I said that they looked like. They look more like enlarged wyverns than true dragons.'

I turned around to ask how he knew what real dragons looked like, considering that no-one had seen them for over a thousand years. Then, as I saw who it was, I stopped, my eyes widening in amazement.

'Still, despite the mistake with the dragons, I have to admit that it is a magnificent-' he was cut off by a violent fit of coughing. I moved over to assist him, and he gripped my shoulder to support himself. He stoped, then took a deep breath and straightened himself.

'I apologise,' He straightened himself, and turned to look at me. 'I must look pathetic. I can't even take a walk around the castle without falling to my illness.'

'You don't have to apologise.' I responded. 'I mean, everyone gets sick, wether they are nobles or farmers. All you can do is get better. Father always told me that it was silly to try and act well when your sick, instead you should rest and get better so that you can **be** well.'

'... Your father was a wise man.' He looked at me with bemusement, mirth and curiosity in his blue eyes.

'He wasn't my real father.' I responded. 'He was a priest of St. Emiline, and he ran the orphanage where I lived. I can barely remember my real parents, but he was always a father to me and Rei.'

'Ah, I see.' He said sadly. 'So, those two still met their demise, even after all I did to try and protect them...' He shook his head. 'Please, tell me your name.'

'Lugh.' I told the sickly Marquess.

'Well then Lugh. It was a pleasure talking to you. There are few people who are willing to just have a decent conversation with me. Everyone just seems to think that all I say is right, and they grovel at my feet to try and gain my favour.' He sighed, and then coughed.

'... It must be lonely.' I said suddenly.

'Hm?' He stoped coughing and looked at me.

'People are always trying to gain power, but once you get it, everyone starts looking up to you as their superior. It may be nice for a while, but I think that eventually, you'd just want to be like everyone else again. But once you achieve power, it's incredibly hard to get rid of it.' I stopped, then smiled sheepishly. 'There I go again, rambling about thinks that just pop into my mind.'

'No...' He looked thoughtful, and did I see sadness? 'You have a talent for seeing things in a different perspective.' He sighed again, then smiled. 'Well, I'm sorry to cut our conversation short, but I'm afraid that I have other things that need my attention. Please, if you have the time, I would like to talk to you again. Visit me in my study sometime, I'd enjoy the company.'

'I'd be honoured.' I nodded. He nodded in return, then walked off. I watched him go, then turned my eyes back to the painting for one last look. I then walked down the corridor to return to my room, and to meet Chad along the way.

There was no way that Chad would believe that I had just talked with Lord Eliwood.

* * *

The remaining members of the Lycia Alliance were to gather in Pherae for an emergency council. We were going to remain in the castle for a few months whilst everything was being sorted out. It was good to know that we had a few months break, but I needed to do something other than wait around and be bored. 

After the first week, the entirety of the Lycia Alliance Army was called in to the Council chambers. There were representatives from each providence. Lady Lilina sat in the Seat of Ostia, and Lord Roy stood beside his father, who stared down at us in bemusement. The representative from Laus stood up and cleared his throat.

'This is the small advanced force of the Lycia Alliance Army that was led by Lord Roy. Through their actions, many conspiracy theories were revealed and plots against the Alliance were thwarted. It is because of them, that Laus was released from the tyrannical rule of Lord Erik. They have shown courage in the face of impossible odds, and have survived all that has been thrown at them.'

Murmuring moved through the representatives. I felt myself flush red with embarrassment. I didn't do that much... A chair slid across the floor, and I looked up t see Lord Eliwood standing, looking at us.

'As the representative of the Lycia Alliance, until the Lady Lilina comes of age is eligible to take the title of Marchioness, I give thanks to the advanced force of the Lycia Alliance Army. Whilst you may not think of yourselves as such, you are now heroes. Without your assistance-' there was a pause as he coughed. Roy moved over to lend assistance to his sickly father, but Lord Eliwood waved him off. He took a deep breath and continued. 'If not for you, the alliance would have surely fallen by now. We give you our fullest gratitude.' He smiled weakly. 'I look down, and I see the descendants of so many old friends. Just as we once moved around Elibe, saving the world from doom, so do you. Do your parents proud.' He nodded to us, then sat down.' Each of us was given a small medal. The words had been enough for me, but the medal... I smiled and pocketed it. Although I had been called a hero, I did not feel like one. I may have saved hundreds, but I killed hundreds as well. I would rather be an unknown innocent then a bloodstained hero. I could not wear the medal.

Not yet, anyway.

* * *

Another chapter done.A lot happier than the previous ones, butthat's to be expected.But, alas, don't expect another for a month. I'm going on holiday, and immediately after that I'm back at school. I'll try to get it written, but don't expect any miracles. 

**Chapter Ten: A Chance Meeting** (?'s POV)

That's right! A surprise POV! A lamington to whoever can guess who it is!

R&R please!


	10. A Chance Meeting

No, you're not dreaming. It's not a miracle either, although it seems like it (even to me!). Kiri-Ryu has actually UPDATED! gasp  
Well, it's been close to two years, what can I say? Well, I suppose I can start with "Sorry". I really just lost inspiration to write. A lot of things have happened, and I just wasn't able to write anything. Oh, and I really had no idea what I wanted to do with this chapter either. A number of times rewriting the same thing over and over again just drained me. So, I let it go, and I regret that, since I do love this story.

So, I suppose you want to know what's happened to me. (Or not... feel free to skip to the story.) Well, I've finished school, and find that I miss writing essays. (Oh how ironic, hehe) I've started playing World of Warcraft, and that takes up a lot of my free time. Um, I've moved out of my parent's house and I am now sharing a house with my older brother. A few moths ago we bought a Kitten and I love her with the entirety of my heart. I also have a job, but it's pretty crappy. I've suffered from a little depression but I'm pretty much over it.

As for this chapter, well, I got the idea for it around 4 hours ago, and I couldn't stop writing. It's not as long as some of my other chapters, but I've only just gotten into writing again. I might revisit it later, depending on how I feel and of course how you guys feel. Oh, I currently don't have a spell checker, and though I've proof read it, there still might be some errors.

(Heh, of course probably none of my old readers are going to see this.)

**Disclaimer:** You know, I probably don't have to write this... Oh well, I don't own the rights to Fire Emblem or anything related to it.

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**A Fire Emblem fanfic by Kiri-Ryu**

Chapter Ten: A Chance Meeting

_(Rei)_

Perhaps my hasty journey towards Bern was not such a good idea.

For the past month, I had traveled towards the border of Bern, occasionally finding employment as a guard for traveling caravans, but mostly on foot. But as I now look up at the towering mountains separating Bern from Lycia, I begin to think that rushing towards my fate might not have been a wise idea. I had stocked up on food and other supplies at the last town I had visited, but I had only bought enough to just make it to the next town, which lay over the mountain range and into Bern territory.

I would not have been too worried if the passes though the spine of mountains were still clear, however the xenophobic emperor of Bern decided to destroy most of them, with the few remaining constantly patrolled by a platoon of Wyvern Knights and ground soldiers. I dare not risk exposing myself to them so soon, I doubt a traveler proficient in Dark Magic would receive a warm welcome.

And yet... as I look towards the jagged mountains before me, I cannot help but think that my thirst for power will lead me to a cold, lonely and gruesome death.

I shoulder my backpack, full of preserved food along, some firewood and, of course, my Flux tome and research notes. I look up once again at the mountains before me, take in a deep breath, and start my long trek towards my destiny.

* * *

I know not how long I have been walking for. My hands and feet are numb from the harsh, bitterly cold wind that screams at me. I can barely remember the world that was full of light and warmth... Was that real? Does the sun actually exist, and is there something other than wind and snow? Or was is just a delusion conjured from a mind driven insane by this endless world of snow, wind and jagged mountain rocks. I can't even remember why I'm traveling though this hell, only that I must do it. 

I take another step, one that seems to take an eternity. I cannot feel it hit the ground, my feet lost feeling a long time ago. I suck in a deep breath, trying to draw live saving air into my lungs. Each time I breathe in, it seems I'm getting less and less air. My head swims, nothing makes sense anymore. Perhaps I should just stop? I'm so tired, and sleep seems so warm, so comforting.

No.

I must go on, I have to keep going. To stop would kill me. I lift my leg again, and eons pass as I take another step.

Sheets of snow buffet me, blinding me with white. I wave my hand in front of my face, but the snow and ice just dance away, only to come back to torment me again. Blasted snow, it torments me, teases me, sucks away my life and laughs at each stumble. Before me eyes, the tormenting snow gains shape, form, shifting into a miniature wyvern-No, a dragon! Hundreds of the creatures swarm around me on wings made of snow, laughing at me, dancing around me, biting at my hands, legs and my head. I roar at them, swipe at them, attack them with my magic. But they always evade my attacks, laughing all the while, mocking me and ripping at my face and fingers.

Shadows appear in the background, faceless things that point at me in accusation. They open their mouths and moan with the wind, revealing bright red mouths that drip onto the snow like rubies, or blood. I cannot stand their gazes anymore, I try to lash out at them, sending a ball of darkness spiraling towards them. They absorb it, growing larger with its power. Their wail, becomes louder, I can almost hear words in it. I scream at them to stop, but they just get louder again.

I clasp my hands over my ears and flail around. The ice dragons filter away from my thrashing, but return to tear away at my flesh. I gaze down at the blanket of snow below me, only to see faces rise out of the snow, forming. They are the faces of bandits, nameless people on the streets, even Father is among them. Their lifeless eyes gaze at me in contempt. I turn around, trying to escape their gaze, only to see the face of Lugh. Unlike the others, I see only pity in his eyes. I scowl, I don't need his pity! Who does he think I am? A babe that cannot defend himself? I feel my rage well up inside me and I use it to fuel my Magic. A cloud of dark energy forms around my right hand, crackling with fury. I swipe at his face, trying to eradicate it, to destroy his pity. My balance suddenly fails me as I lean forward to attack him.

I fall.

The snow explodes around my face. It's so cold that it rends at my face, perhaps I landed on a swarm of dragons? And yet... It feels so warm and comfortable, like a pillow so soft that my face simply melts into it. Darkness swarms around the edge of my vision, and I can barely keep my eyes open. Slowly, my eyelids close, and my breathing slows until it seems just a whisper. I feel warm hands wrap a blanket around me, a blanket that is chillingly cold... No, it's as warm as the fireplace where I was dozing before. A faint kiss is planted upon the back of my head, and a voice whispers for me, her angel, to sleep peacefully.

Darkness envelops me, and I fall into a deep slumber.

* * *

The smell of cooked beef wafts though my nostrils, rousing me to wakefulness. I open my eyes slowly, and look around. Rough stone walls of a cave greet me, the red and yellow flickering of a fire illuminate it, giving it an ethereal feeling. Memories hit me: never ending snow and wind, and something more. Faces perhaps... Dragons? Did I see dragons in these mountains? Bah, impossible. My memory of these mountains and my days in them are patchy at best, they were probably delusions. 

I try to stand up, only to have my feet suddenly burst into unexpected pain. I cried out, and fell down. My head bumped into a soft, hairy object, which snorted.

"Hey! You finally awake"

I looked up to find a strange face looking down at me, concerned but at the same time slightly amused.

"No," I reply to him. "I'm still in a deep sleep, running away from flesh eating tulips"

"Hey, no need to be sarcastic, just asking that's all." The strange man snorted, then disappeared from my field of vision. I turned my head, trying to see where he went, only to look into a wall of short brown fur. I touch it curiously, causing it to snort again. I look to see a horse's head swivel around to look at me. I sigh, cursing my foolishness. I try to stand again, but the pain in my feet returns and I am forced to sit back down again.

"I wouldn't try that if I was you friend" Said the man from behind me. "Your feet are pretty badly hurt. I tried all I could, but bandages and vulneraries can do only so much"

"What happened to me?" I asked him.

"Dunno really." He replied. I heard a sloshing sound, and the aroma of beef and cooked vegetables once again invaded my senses. My stomach rumbled and I realized for the first time how hungry I was.

"I found you half buried in the snow a couple of days ago, almost frozen to death. I've been carrying you through the mountains... Well, technically my horse Firebolt was doing that, but anyway I've been nursing you to health since. You're actually quite lucky, you almost lost your feet to frostbite. But my superior skills managed to save them. They'll still be sore for a few days though"

He sounded cocky, sure of himself, but I suppose that he had the right to, if he was telling the truth. A bowl was suddenly pushed into my hands, filled to the brim with a thick beef and vegetable stew. I wolfed it down with the tenaciousness of a starving man.

When I finally finished my meal, I looked up at the man who had saved my life. He looked to be in his mid twenties, and was in good health. He had long purple hair, reaching to just below his shoulders, which was kept out of his eyes by a thin bandanna tied twice around his forehead. His eyes were the same colour as his hair, and they shined with arrogance and, strangely enough, mirth. He was garbed in a long green coat, with a black undershirt and grey-white pants. He was draped in gaudy jewelry: a long necklace around his neck, numerous rings on a few of his fingers and quite a number of bracelets. He also had a thick winter cloak around him, but I suspect he was only wearing it to keep the cold away.

"Was it good?" He asked me with a cocky smile. "If not, then you probably should have bought some better food along"

"You used up my food to make this?!" I growled at him.

"Hey now, no need to stab me with those daggers in your eyes!" He backed away, waving his hands at me in self defense. "You've still got plenty more in your backpack, and I used quite a bit of my supplies as well. Together, we have more than enough to make it over the mountain"  
I glared at him for a while longer then snorted and turned my head away. I did not want to travel with someone else, but the state of my feet as well as my supplies made it impossible not to.

"More stew?" He asked me. Wordlessly I handed him my bowl, which he refilled. I ate slower this time, brooding over this turn of events.

"Where in the mountains are we?" I asked him between mouthfuls.

"Just a couple of days from the Bern side. We're actually following an old, forgotten pass, which is why I can take Firebolt through." He sat down across from me, a bowl in his hands and started eating.

"By the way," He spoke to me, his mouth half full. "What's your name? I'm Hugh by the way." He swallowed and grinned at me. "Perhaps you've heard of me, I'm a pretty famous mage around these parts"

I raised my eyebrow at this, if he was pretty famous then why was he using an old forgotten path? I suppose I shouldn't be making generalizations.

"Rei" I replied to him. "My name is Rei"

"Well, nice to finally meet you Rei." He offered me his hand, almost knocking his stew over in the process. I glared at the hand until he withdrew it. I suppose I should be grateful to him for saving my life, but there was something about him that rubbed me the wrong way. Hugh returned to eating his meal.  
I finished the bowl and put it to the side. A weariness washed over me, and I stretched out my legs and yawned. I pillowed my head against the roan horse's flank and let sleep envelop me again.

* * *

For the next three days, I traveled on the back of Firebolt, Hugh's horse. I would have preferred to walk, but my feet were still tender and they hurt to walk on. In the afternoon of the third day, we emerged from the mountain range. Fields or green and yellow grass greeted us, with trees loosing their leaves to the bitter autumn wind. For the first time in a long while, I was overwhelmed by the sight before me. I had been in those snowy, jagged mountains for what seemed to be an eternity. Seeing something other than white and gray... well, it overwhelmed me. 

We continued forward into Bern until sundown. Hugh set up a camp, cooked up a simple meal, then fell asleep fairly early in the morning. His company had been bearable... just. I waited until I could hear his snores, then I carefully stood up. My feet throbbed with pain, but I could now bear it. I hobbled over to the fire to warm myself, then I looked over at Hugh again. It was time to take my leave.

I hobbled over to Firebolt, then saddled him up. I untied Hugh's saddlebags though, I had no need of his junk. Curiosity got the better of me though, and I looked though them. For the most part it was pretty generic traveling gear. Flint and tinder, spare clothes, a sewing needle and thread just to name a few things. However, buried down at the bottom of one of the bags was something most unusual. A tome of dark magic.

Why would Hugh have this? He was clearly an Anima mage, I had seen him light campfires with a small fire spell. Well, whatever the reason, I silently placed it in my own backpack. He didn't need it, and it was clearly different from my own.

I mounted Firebolt and nudged him forward. We silently left the camp, heading roughly in an eat direction. With this horse, I would easily be able to make it to the capital in a week or two.

Soon, I would discover for myself the truth to Bern's dragons.

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Rei! Hehe, I remember how much I miss writing about him.  
I'm very sorry if I haven't gotten the characters personalities right, but I haven't played Fire Emblem in a long time. Because of this, it might be a while before the next chapter appears, I want to play a bit of FE6 again before I start. I have an idea of what I want to happen, but I want to make sure I get the characters right. 

**_Chapter Eleven: A Home Shattered_** (Lugh's POV)

Hopefully it won't be too long in the making. Please Review if you enjoyed it :)


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